Within a mile radius of our house all the neighbor children attend public school. One male child runs around with green & pink hair; his sister is seen riding her bike wearing low riding pants and a thong so both cheeks are almost totally exposed; their mother (a JOP & school board member) was recently arrested for allegedly having 25 pot plants. Another male child further down the road ganged up with 3 of his public schooled friends here in the neighborhood to vandalize a recently widowed man's house; his mother assaulted our dog and his father assaulted me. His father teaches parenting classes.
I could go on and on. Is this the kind of socialization among children you are asking about? My homeschooled children have never been allowed to socialize with any of our neighbor children. My children have their own group of civilized friends and same age relatives they associate with.
But, won't they get depressed? you ask. I have met far more depressed public schoolers than homeschoolers. If you are alluding to the recent shootings by a so-called homeschooler, that child was not the norm for homeschoolers. There was something far more serious going on there than just homeschooling.
Our daughter started college at age 15 and our son started college at age 16. Neither seem to have any difficulty fitting in, which is not the reason why they attend college. They are there for the academics and not to be social butterflies. Their focus on academics doesn't allow them (or their parents) any unnecessary waste of energy and finances since they don't live on campus and can work part-time.
The time and place for socializing has always been kept in perspective and has made those times at social functions all the more sweeter and meaningful. By having a manageable amount of good and trustworthy friends, as opposed to a room full of 30 peers with nothing in common except the school they attend, we've made life more sane and enjoyable for ourselves.
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