Eating Crow

     Ehem.  I have an announcement to make.  That's right folks, sometimes you've gotta eat crow, and I cannot allow this post to remain on my blog without eating a little crow.  Entering into my fourth year of homeschooling I am officially proclaiming that I am indeed a little concerned about socialization.  Whew. There.  I said it.  

     Now, to be clear, Webster defines socialization as:

  "the process by which a human being beginning at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status."  

So technically speaking I am still not overly concerned about socialization as defined by Webster. I think my kids are doing okay in that department, and technically speaking I suppose I can still stand behind my original post.  BUT, and it's an enormous but, what I have become concerned about is the lack of frequency of consistent, good quality time spent with their peers.  

The Problem

     We've done, and continue to do, quite a few activities outside of the home, but I have found a longing in my children for something more.  Something with more depth.  Something more "Anne of Green Gables Bosom Buddy-ish."  I am not at all implying, nor am I convinced that school outside the home is a necessity for developing deep lasting friendships, but it certainly creates a multitude of opportunities on a daily basis to find that lifelong bosom buddy.  This is something that I failed to admit in my first couple of years of homeschooling, and for that reason, I'm eating crow.  

     

     I love homeschooling and this year, more than ever, thank God everyday for the opportunity to do it, but I think sometimes the cons can be heavily glossed over in an attempt to convince society that it really isn't crazy.  It's not crazy.  It's really, really good, and there are plenty of stats to back that up (maybe in another post), BUT it can also be really, really hard, and I think sometimes I have been afraid to admit the challenges.  In assessing our successes and failures at the end of every school year, I try to figure out ways to fix what I perceive to be our problem areas.  I was pretty disheartened and embarrassed this year when I had to admit our biggest problem area was in the friendship department.  After all, I have been pretty vocal about the fact that that particular department was of no concern to me. My voice echoed in my head, "We have loads of activities, blah, blah, blah." 

What We're Doing About It

     God takes care of all things.  I am so grateful for His attention to every detail.  He has opened new doors for our family through our parish school this year.  Our children are now enrolled as part-time students at the school and are having a wonderful experience.  I see the light of joy in their faces not just after picking them up from school, but spread throughout the rest of the week at home.  I feel like I have the best of both worlds.  I love, love, love teaching my own children, but I also love, love, love the environment of the school.  I love greeting the other parents and teachers.  I love the idea of helping to support an excellent school in whatever little way we can.  What I love most of all is knowing that this experience is helping to fill a void in our lives.  I use the word "our" because I needed this too.  Perhaps even more than the kids. 

     So there, I am finished eating crow...until next time.  I still believe homeschoolers are properly socialized, but in light of my annoying repetition implying it couldn't possibly EVER be an issue for ANY family, and then discovering an offshoot of it to be a bit of an issue under my own roof, I felt the need to do this!