How do you help you children adjust to the world?

[JohnnyGotham]

Because homeschooled kids are more "sheltered" than public school kids, how do you make sure that they'll adjust to the real world and keep their values?

[Anon]

Keep them totally involved in any church activities available, soulwinning, youth group, other ministries...get involved with a homeschool group and participate in field trips...maybe even get them into a sports team in a local Christian school if available. The most *normal* homeschoolers I have met have done all these things.

[Pastorj]

As our kids have gotten older and have grown in their ability to discern right and wrong, we have allowed more. They now participate in town sports and are permitted to do things that a couple years ago and even last year I wouldn't have allowed them to do. Each time, we take the time to go over what they are going to experience and we always take time afterward to answer their questions and show them from Scripture why it was wrong.

[Chelle]

Here's a question to ponder:

How much "socialization" do children really need?

[Anon]

"And Jesus increased in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man."

It was very social in the Bible....people lived with extended family, loads of cousins, etc.

I don't think its good for kids to be isolated.

[Chelle]

[quote]
I don't think its good for kids to be isolated.
[/quote]

I don't believe I stated or even implied that it was. I was just asking a question for the sake of discussion.

[quote]
It was very social in the Bible....people lived with extended family, loads of cousins, etc.
[/quote]

Yes, they did...they weren't, however, forced to sit for seven hours a day, five days a week, segregated by age. :D

[Anon]

[quote]
I don't believe I stated or even implied that it was. I was just asking a question for the sake of discussion.
[/quote]

Nope, I know...I was just making a blanket statement.

As far as sitting in school...in Bible days the children learned the trade of the father. Our culture is not like this anymore and schools have been around for a long time. Before schools they were home schooled or else apprenticed or simply did not learn to read.

I don't agree with kids not having any recess or activity time but if a school provides these things I think its a good thing, esp in a Christian environment.

[Kubel]

[quote="Chelle"]
Here's a question to ponder:

How much "socialization" do children really need?
[/quote]

Kids need socialization. If they don't, they end up growing up with serious problems.

[Chelle]

[quote="Kubel"]
[quote="Chelle"]Here's a question to ponder:

How much "socialization" do children really need?
[/quote]

Kids need socialization. If they don't, they end up growing up with serious problems.[/quote]

Your answer is great if the question was "Do children need socialization?" But it wasn't. The question was "[i][b]How much[/b][/i] socialization do children really need?"

A lot? A little?

The common myth is that homeschooled children aren't socialized. What propagators of this myth [i][b]really[/b][/i] mean is that children who are homeschooled are not indoctrinated with all the liberal and godless doctrine that the public school system would have them absorb and accept.

Not all parents are meant to be homeschoolers, nor are all children meant to be homeschooled. If parents are truly led of God to teach their children this way, God will equip them (by giving them the wisdom to know what their strengths and weaknesses are, and also guiding them to the resources that will work best in teaching their children according to the childrens' learning style -- whether visual or auditory). [i]NOTE: I am [b]not[/b] one of those who believes that if parents send their children to public or Christian school that they are doing a disservice to them spiritually.[/i]

It's just a pet peeve of mine that many consider homeschooled children "weird" or "isolated" simply because they are homeschooled. That's the main reason I wanted to ask that question about how much socialization they need. Contrary to what some might think, I was [b][i]not[/i][/b] implying that they don't need any. Are we clear? Good. :D

[Guest Guest]

[quote]
The common myth is that homeschooled children aren't socialized.
[/quote]

From my experince with going to church with home schooled children it isn't a myth. Really, I am talking of my own experence and with the families, I have seen and know and see now. there children are literal misfits in society.

I am not posting this to start a fight. I am posting this because this is what I have experienced. Maybe I have only seen the bad, what a coincidence. But it is why I am so anti homeschool.

maybe good can come out of homeschooling, I just have not seen it yet.

[Anon]

I have actually met good ones but they have been socialized too. I have unfortunately met alot of "misfits" like Cathy said as well.

[Pastor Matt]

I don't believe that homeschooling is what makes a child a "misfit" in society, but rather how the parents raises the child and what they allow the children to do.

I've seen just as many "misfits" in Christian schools.

[Anon]

I do agree it is mostly parenting problems...

[Chelle]

[quote]
From my experince with going to church with home schooled children it isn't a myth. Really, I am talking of my own experence and with the families, I have seen and know and see now. there children are literal misfits in society.
[/quote]

More than likely their parents are social misfits too (by social misfit I mean possessing no social skills whatsoever, not simply being different from the "norm" -- whatever [i][b]that[/b][/i] is :roll: ). They learned their parents' antisocial behavior (or inherited it, or some combination of both) and they'd display that behavior no matter what their educational setting was.

Besides, Christians are considered social misfits by the "world", so who are we, really, to call someone else a misfit?

[Guest Guest]

[quote]
Besides, Christians are considered social misfits by the "world", so who are we, really, to call someone else a misfit?
[/quote]

I am going by my expereince and what I saw and misfits would be IMHO criminals, homosexuals, child abusers, murders and I could continue if you like