I was out in the yard playing with my three kids yesterday. Its early June and we have finished homeschool for the year, we are officially on summer break. The days are getting warmer and so while all the public school kids are sweating it out in a classroom we were out enjoying the early morning cool air.
My neighbor across the way who's yard is butt up against ours came out and asked me the question I knew she would ask eventually. "Umm do you homeschool or something?" you see her daughter was one of those "sweating it out" in the classroom that day. I laughed and told her we do and thats why we got to enjoy the ealy summer vacation and the cooler part of the day. Next came the other question I knew she would ask. I knew she would ask because EVERYBODY askes. "Well how do you make sure they socialize since they arent in school."
A few years back when I first started homeschool I was always nervous to answer peoples questions about our personal education choice. Now that we are a few years in and have seen the beautiful results of our homeschooling coming about I dont even hesitate. I came across a little something today I thought I would share.

"Patricia Lines published an article in July 2000 titled, “Homeschooling Comes of Age.”1 In this paper she cites a controlled study on interpersonal relations in which a researcher videotaped 140 children at play. Half of the children were publicly schooled children and the other half were homeschooled. The counselors who watched the tapes did not know which children were which. The homeschooled children were noted, “to have fewer behavioral problems.”

This study just showcased what I have known all along. I dont want my children "public school socialized" because it generally is NOT a good thing. Throwing a young child into a classroom with twenty five other kids is NOT going to teach them to act appropriately, is NOT going to teach them what its like in "the real world" and is NOT going to give them an independant mind but a mind cotrolled by there peers. That is Not the socialization I want for my children. By homeschooling my children I know who they are with all the time. I as there parent make sure those people are modeling for them appropriate behavior. By homeschooling my kids I teach them about "the real world" by taking them out into it everyday. Because my kids arent with there peers for the majority of there waking hours they learn that what they think is important. Not what Sally in the desk next to them thinks.

Now I believe whole heartedly that everyone has to make the educational choice that is best for there kids. So I dont want to hear any whiny comments about me being Anti public school. I am just letting everyone know why I have chosen homeschool for my kids =-}