One of the most common concerns with homeschooling surrounds socialization
Socialization is critical to healthy human growth, however, not all socialization is healthy.
My argument is that the public school system can expose your son to negative socialization.
Many parents will notice that kids pick up habits from their peers, which can be harmful. Some of these can be categorized as misbehavior.
Some parents complain that their sons have learned disrespectful manners from their peers which ultimately can divide a household. This can lead to the breakdown of the relationship between you and your son and have long-term effects.
Instead of thinking about homeschooling being a negative thing regarding socialization, it can be viewed as a positive. You are protecting your son from poor habits and habits that do not lead to success.
By homeschooling you take control of your son's socialization. With traditional schooling, there is a major blind spot where you can't monitor every interaction or character your son interacts with.
You cannot pre-select the personalities, traditions, or lifestyles of the families tied to your son. But with homeschooling, you can curate that.
Youth Groups
Youth groups are often free and beneficial for families. These groups usually have a focus. Some of these may be tied to spiritual and/or religious institutions.
These groups have critical thinking exercises and games built into their programs. Some of the critical thinking exercises involve morals and character building.
These are important pieces missing or overlooked from public schools for child development.
Families in these groups often have the same character goals for their offspring. This environment includes families that understand the power of positive socialization. The character of its members is often of a higher caliber.
The participants also enjoy bonding activities like ping pong and chess. This is where your son can get his fill of fun, excitement, and healthy socialization.
Sports & Extracurricular Activities
When parents fear a lack of socialization stemming from homeschooling I believe they forget about elective extracurricular activities and sports. Some kids in public school will not participate in any of these but these are paramount for human development.
Various skills are built from these like teamwork, leadership, and accountability. But character is built along the way from the wins and losses they will experience.
This was expounded upon in my "How to Raise Strong Sons."
Conclusion
We have shown here how socialization in homeschooling is not a weakness but it is a strength. Control over the social groups your son is exposed to will mold his personality and character to be something you can be proud of.
This is how you secure honor in your legacy.
