It can be easy-peasy when children are little, but to do it well for an extended time is a lot of work. It also can be alienating for the parents who do it. Take a look at any study about how homemaking impacts women, and it’s not hard to draw the conclusion that it’s not really children who “socially suffer” from homeschooling. In fact, the kids usually seem to be well-adjusted, but quite a few mothers (and a couple fathers) I’ve met who homeschooled for an extended time have come off as super lonely…or worse—codependent upon other people.

This, of course, can be combatted when parents who primarily homeschool are honest with themselves about it and make it a priority to take time for self-care—and even considering re-entering the workforce or starting some kind of professional trade part-time when their kids are a bit older and more independent. I have started studying and working from while my children do their schoolwork, and it’s been wonderful for the wallet…but even better for my mind, social life, and self esteem.

I support people’s right to homeschool (am even one myself), but the whole argument of siblings teaching other siblings proper social behavior is baloney. All of the most poorly “socialized” children I met had siblings—homeschooled or not. In a lot of these cases, the parents totally relied on siblings to be social interaction versus adult guidance and/or outside experiences. This resulted in kids who did not do well in group situations and either bullied other kids or were terrified of them.

Expecting your child to know how to interact well in different social situations because they have a sibling is like expecting them to be better at any other skill (math, literature, etc…) because they have a sibling. It really comes down the the experiences the parents (and other adults in the child’s life) help the child discover. Giving all kids (regardless of whether or not they have siblings) opportunities and occasional gentle guidance (when necessary) totally trumps whether or not a child has siblings when it comes to how socially literate they become. Of course, there’s other factors that should be considered (like if the child has a disability that can interfere).

Maybe you should go back and read the article – the whole thing, including the part at the beginning where I point out that it’s a joke and the parts under each heading where I refute each outrageous statement. It’s so discouraging that so many homeschooling families jump down my throat for this article that they’d probably find funny if they’d actually read it. Best wishes in your homeschool and with your own education.