We don't INTENTIONALLY hang with just hs'ers. Rachael, especially, also enjoys some of the kids at church, one in particular, that are not hs'ed. It's just that most of our activities are hs'ing activities, so most of our friends are from there. We do play with neighborhood kids that aren't hs'ed.
Yea, we hang with hmescholers and non homeschoolers. But it mostly comes down to two things... Simply logistics.. The other kids can't play when we can.. they are in school And jugemental people that are afraid to play with us freaks. But definately not on purpose...
You know, the way you describe things is right on. That is exactly how we do things... And if you think about it...We are teaching our children the "Real World" way to make friends. And that is an invaluable lesson, to be honest. Many people today do not know HOW to make friends. many people in our lives come and go. Friendships fade and people drift into and out of our lives. Knowing HOW to find and make NEW friends is very important. And starting out life, NOT relying on your friends to be served up to you on a school room platter, is really THE real way to learn how to find friends. Anyway, just thought I would mention that.
As I see it, homeschooling families gravitate towards other homeschooling families more probably for the same reason that you and your daughter have created stronger bonds with other parents and children involved in dance and your church: common interests resulting in you being at the same places at the same times. Personally, I will let my daughter play with anyone she wants to with one stipulation: that the children she plays with have parents who do watch and discipline their own children. My next door neighbor is excellent about his son, but we have some children in our neighborhood whose parents seem to have a hands-off policy the moment their children step outside--even one homeschooling family is like this! So, for me, it is not that I prefer homeschooling families, but responsible parents and usually--although there are definitely exceptions--the most responsible and involved parents are the ones homeschooling.
My kids were allowed to play with those kids IN OUR YARD where I could keep an eye on things. If there was a problem, the kids knew they were OUT of there, and it'd be a while before they came back. So they were usually polite and appropriate in my yard. But there is NO WAY I'd let my kids play with them elsewhere!
I was fine with our neighbor kids until school started back up. Then they came home from school unattended, in the streets til 10 pm, at least and telling my 5 year old that she was a b**** and that all girls IS B**ches... (SHOCK!) That kid was SEVEN years old.... They are good people but being raised in a different world than we are. And to be honest, it is a bit too "Prison Culture" for my taste.
We dont only pick homeschoolers but its fun to have someone who is your friend who does the same thing you do. MY dd told me she wanted friends like her, that homeschooled so she didn't feel so different and could say "I was talking to my friend (insert name here) from co op class, and... yada yada yada " you get the idea. So it was for my kids that I found a home school friend group. they voiced the need to find other kids like them.
Yeah, really.. what's up with that? I know the real reason, cause they seem to think that dd is really smart and are intimidated with her.. and they think ds is younger than he is but really smart too, lol. Mostly cause he talks about what he knows..
Hey Seeking..../ I love that cartoon! I did a search on mallard fillmore and found the whole line or list of this series of discussion by the comic strip on homeschooling.... http://www.geocities.com/tankgrrl360/hs_humour.htm
The interaction with the kids at the schools are not the best anyway. It might not seem so bad at 6 yrs old, but everything seems to fall a part around the 2nd/3rd grade range socially. Usually, at this age, there are homeschool groups with tons of park days and such. That is worth trying. We enjoyed that sort of stuff when we started homeschooling.
That was when I started reading Mallard Fillmore. I had never heard of him before his homeschool stuff was posted here. Now I never miss him! If you've been following the Santa Claus thread, you might want to check today's cartoon out.... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp
I am always reminded of this particular one when a girl at my church talks about my daughter. My daughter at six years old was using words that impressed her at thirteen years old; she just did not get how my daughter knew some of things she did and how she would use such big words accurately.
Tell them the words are graffitied on the inside of that box you keep her in. he he he Sarcasm is my thing.
This is a really helpful thread for me. My son has always been cautious about meeting new people and loves his "comfort zone" so I worry about him, with the move and all. On the plus side, he is really excited about homeschooling and about living in a big city, so who can figure it?? I am looking into boy scouts and hs groups though. I completely agree that I want my son to learn real socialization skills--not the "herd" mentality I see in the ps. I'm encouraged by the activities all of your children are involved in and am glad for the reassurance. It's not that I worry about my child not relating to people because he is very emotionally intelligent, I just want what every mom wants, a child who has the value of one good friend in his life. I've found over my life that there have only been one or two people who have remained quality friends. I am sure Cameron will have that as well.
