I really liked this article, I swiped it from http://walkingredeemed.org/2013/04/why-im-comfortable-with-my-kids-being-un-socialized/
"As a homeschooler, I hear it all the time. The sometimes well-intentioned (other times mean-spirited) questions regarding how I ensure my children are properly socialized. Here’s my straight answer…I don’t.
I’m okay if they receive a sub-standard education in the ways of modern-day youth. I don’t mind admitting that I’m actively “sheltering” my kids from associations that will do nothing but harm their own characters. And I won’t apologize for it. I’m not a snob–I’m simply a mother who takes the task of raising her children very seriously and who knows how easy it is to step off the path into complacency.
I don’t mind if my kids don’t learn to cuss. My oldest child dipped his toe in the nasty habit a few years back and it took some serious praying and intentional heart-to-hearts to penetrate his impressionable mind on the matter. I’m perfectly content to count his battle a victory and give all glory to God. But I’m not eager to wage war against a filthy mouth again anytime soon.
I’m not concerned if my kids don’t have girlfriends/boyfriends. In fact, they are not permitted to. And yes, we’ve been raked over the coals for it. Encouraging any form of intimacy between youth, even of a strictly emotional nature, is playing with fire. In well-supervised social situations, my children are more than welcome to chat with and get to know people of either gender. But that is where it stops, for now.
I’m not at all bothered that my children are a bit naive. That they can hear crass talk and not fully understand it’s meaning. It doesn’t make them stupid, it simply means they’re having their minds guarded from the garbage being heaped on young people today. The dumbing-down created by Hollywood and the tabloids is mass-producing a society numb to basic moral standards. I’m fine if my children aren’t just another statistic.
I make no apologies for the fact that I have children who are well into their teens and are still not permitted to watch movies deemed suitable for those years younger. What goes in those minds via the screen tends to stay locked up there. I prefer to have them held captive by that which will elevate, rather than destroy, their characters.
I do not feel bad for not allowing my children to run around unsupervised. Even my teens operate within boundaries set in place for their own good. They are given freedoms, in a progressive trend, as they age and show signs of maturity. But they are not left to their own devices.
I’m not in the least persuaded that it is acceptable for my kids to be “checking out” those of the opposite sex. I am doggedly instilling in them the need to respect each other and to look deeper than what is often put far too prominently on display. I abhor this society of acceptable nakedness and am encouraging my children to keep their eyes on Christ instead.
Make no mistake, my children have friends. My son shoots hoops with the neighbor boy in his yard pretty regularly and I didn’t run a background check or insist on fingerprinting before allowing the friendship. But I can glance over there quickly and see that they aren’t toeing any lines…they’re simply enjoying a bit of company and athletic recreation. I am not opposed to friendships–it’s the myth that I must intentionally socialize my kids that frustrates me. You socialize puppies. Children should be encouraged to live, encountering people of all kinds and learning to make judgement calls (not the same thing as being judgmental!) while under your protective wing.
I am not advocating homeschooling or bashing those who choose not to. I have done both and neither option is the cause or the absolute cure. I am, however, taking a firm stand against the notion that kids must be immersed deeply in peer exchange to grow in accordance with societal standards. I am not interested in having my children attain any such “standard”.
There is a deception that is running rampant, through even Christian homes, that claims we must go with the flow. That we must not put up too much resistance or our children will rebel. That the easy marriage of the “world” and the “church” is necessary to live a life of cohesiveness, peace and success.
I’m raising my sign high and standing at the pickett line, ready to march against this madness. Please forgive me if that offends you!"
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