Homeschool!?

Today has been a really special day. My amazing friend Keren, who has six children of her own, offered to have my two girls spend the night with them. So when I got home from church last night I had just my boy to put to bed, and when I woke up this morning there were no goofy, giggling girls in my bed begging me to come down and make breakfast. Stevie actually slept so long that I was able to spend TWO hours reading the Word and journaling. I can't think of the last time that happened.

Anyway, Stevie and I had a delicious bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and went on a great walk around our neighborhood. After a shower I took him with me to pamper my feet at my local nail salon. The lady in the chair next to me wanted to know what I was having, so I told her it was a boy. She asked if we would try for a girl next! I told her I already had two girls. She asked if any of them were in school and I told her that we homeschool our children. She was surprised but interested and asked a lot of questions.

Then it came, "What about socialization? That is the only thing I would really worry about."

I have not been asked about socialization before (especially by a perfect stranger), but a lot of people who homeschool are, so I have thought a lot about it. I talked about the social activities Genna is involved in and that she has her siblings, but while cleaning my floor today some thoughts came to mind.

1. Am I weird? Once you meet me do you think that my having children with me all day, socializing with me, will ruin them?

2. Have you MET my generation or the generation coming up right now? Not exactly the best in the history of humanity! My husband and I have decided that, for now, it will be best for our children's character to remain home under my crazy care.

3. (This is often used by homeschoolers and quite true) There is no other time in a person's life other than the school years that they socialize with only people their own age. Once a person enters college, and more importantly real adulthood, they are expected to interact with people of all ages. It seems to me that socialization with peers alone would retard social ability, not enhance it.

4. My children work on interpersonal skills a lot, especially with each other. The minute they get to other social experiences (Sunday School, ballet, art class, play dates, etc) they share, are kind, forgiving, and generally unselfish. Together the girls (and now dealing with their toddler brother!) do the hard work of getting along with siblings.

5. They may turn out a little weird, Genna's fashion sense is already a bit off from her peers (*sigh* I fear I am to blame!), but our goal is not to raise homecoming queens. Our goals, though I'm not able to perfectly articulate them, are to raise men and women who glorify their Father in Heaven. I don't have it all worked out yet, but He does, and I am quite certain that homeschooling is His will for our family right now. So I press on, that they may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of them.