One Mom's View of Socialization

When someone asks about socialization, are they asking if our kids can interact with others?  Do they really think my child is like Jodie Foster's character in the movie Nell - someone who has been isolated since birth from society, and can't interact with other people in the world, until Liam and his magical speech therapist show up and change her world.  Really?  I don't think so.

I think people are really asking if we keep our children away from other people as if we're all somehow "protecting them from the world". 
I have been accused of this myself.  Like you perhaps, those in my peripheral view don't know, and certainly don't understand why we homeschool, thus making it easy to make assumptions about our motives.  We must be overprotective parents, control freaks, religious nuts, etcetera, and due to our anti-social tendencies our children will rebel one day and not have the skills necessary to live normally in the world.

That is unless they've lived underground since birth, with no one but their parents to socialize with, like Brendon Fraser in Blast from the Past.  But in the end, Brendon's character is the one who seems to have all the necessary social skills to get out of a jam.  And he was the ultimate homeschooler.  Curious. 
I love that movie.

I've compared my view of parental protection by explaining that you don't have to throw your children to the wolves to teach them about the dangers of wolves.  My kids are learning about sin in the world because I expose them to the truth, not hide it from them.  But in our attempts to defend our way of life, let's be bold and practice some humility and admit, when it comes to some aspects of social living, the homeschooler does have to work a little harder at developing a family plan for their kids to have a network of peers. 

There I said it.  And I don't regret it.  Yet.

Before you verbally beat me up or send me hate mail, let me explain. 
I believe completely, that my children are each others BFF's so to speak.  I want it that way and it isn't because I want to control them.  I want them to want it, not me.  I also know that our family is their social network, and meets their emotional and social needs fully.   Who else should be there for them in their laughter, tears, successes and failures?  

But when I see them with their peeps, their pals who are going through the same phases in life they are, like prepubescent hormonal personality changes, it makes me melt inside when I see that they have each other to validate their feelings and talk about nonsense, that makes for wonderful memories they'll one day have to remember these days.

I want this for my babies.  I want them to have every possible place to softly fall when the world discourages them or a place to celebrate when the world has embraced them.  I want them to have both family and friends to share this life with.

I've heard it said that friends are God's apology for family.  I hope that isn't true with most of us, but I'm sure you can relate, at least sometimes.  I don't mind if my kids want to have some secrets they share with their pals, but while I still can, I get to help them discern what true friends really are, so they can make wise choices when they are on their own.  I am so grateful to have this wonderful mix of kids in our group, who are going through just what my kids are going through, and can relate to being a Catholic homeschooling kid with bizarre parents who are unsocial.