My kids are unsocialized, by some people’s standards. 
Socialization, not to be confused with Socialism, seems to be of the utmost importance to people who don’t homeschool, have never homeschooled, or would never consider homeschooling.
The definition of socialization, from Dictionary.com:
There you have it. Socialization is nothing more than growing up and establishing your identity and how to live with those in your community. You notice that it does not say “deal with bullies to toughen them up”, or “drag through the public school system in order to ‘fit in’ with the neighbors,” or even “smoke marijuana and party on weekends, because that’s what high schoolers do.” No, it says nothing of the sort.
Socialization is about the ability to live and function in society.
It has nothing to do with taking on the garbage of the world just for experience’s sake. If I had a dollar the number of times I have been asked about their socialization skills, I would have a tidy amount put away for our curriculum. Or a mission trip. And how do they ask? Let me count the ways…(and my sarcastic in-my-head answers are shown before my actual ones).
So do they get to play with kids in the neighborhood? (No, we don’t allow them to be influenced by ANY other children.) Of course. Once the neighborhood kids finish their homework, that is. My kids get to play as soon as we are done for the day. Usually between 1-2pm.
How will they know how to talk to people outside your family? (Talk? We have brainwashed their responses.) The same way your kids do. They just do it.
Don’t you believe in group activities? (If you would like to contribute to our family sports fund, I will happily to accept donations via Paypal.) Yes! The boys take karate and have had 2 years of swimming. The girls played volley ball, basketball, soccer, and spent 6 years on the YMCA swim team.
What about socialization? (Our children are lucky we let them talk to anyone, even at church.) What about it? Their social lives keep me very busy!
When they get out in the real world how will they know how to handle it? (Excuse me, but my kids aren’t the ones sitting in a classroom for 6 hours a day.) They have ample opportunity to practice all manner of occupational, social, and life skills in a variety of settings. This, my friends, is the real world.
