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Have you ever heard, You Can’t Homeschool ? One reason many give is the belief that kids will miss out. This is a HUGE misconception and one that needs to be debunked.
At least once a week I will be out and about with my kids and the topic of education comes up. I can guarantee at some point I will be asked about one of these things:
What about the prom?
Do they have friends?
Can they still play sports?
There is an assumption that because a child is homeschooled they will miss out on a social life, or certain “milestones” that other children have. The fact is that this is FAR from the truth.
What about the Prom?
This one makes me laugh the most. Why? Because I was asked about the prom when my daughter was in preschool. PRESCHOOL! The prom was the farthest thing from my mind. However, I now know that just because a child is homeschooled does not mean they have to miss out on the prom.
- They can go with friends! I now know a few homeschooled kids who have graduated and many of them did in fact attend the prom. They have gone with friends from church, boyfriends or girlfriends, and the fact that they were homeschooled did not make a difference.
- Homeschool groups can have their own prom. This is true in many large homeschool groups. I have seen or heard of at least half a dozen in my state.
On a side note, the prom is seen as a rite of passage in high school, but in reality is it really all that important? My husband did not attend the prom, and surprisingly he seems to have managed just fine without it….
Do They Have Friends?
Think about your best friend in the world. Did you go to school with them? Often times the answer is no. I do still have a few friends who I went to school with, and I am grateful for their friendships, but the majority of the people I know now, I met after school. That being said, friendship is a HUGE part of childhood, and many believe that homeschooled children do not have the chance to make friends. This is a HUGE misconception. Where can homeschooled children make friends?
- Scouts
- Homeschool Groups
- Church
- Their Neighborhood
- 4-H
- Church Camp
- Bible School
- Library Activities
These are just a few of the many places homeschool kids can make friends. I can say without a doubt that the friendships my girls have made through homeschooling have been a HUGE blessing. Also, oftentimes the moms become friends as well, and I am very grateful for that 🙂
Can they still play sports?
The answer to this question will vary from state to state. I am in Ohio, and the law recently changed to where schools MUST allow homeschooled children to play or try out for sports in their school district. If you are worried about this, I highly suggest you look into the laws regarding athletics and homeschooled children in your state.
If you happen to live in a state that does not allow homeschoolers to play sports that does not mean your child has to miss out. There are organizations like Upward that allow ALL children to play sports nationwide. You can also look into sports through the YMCA, local homeschool organizations and some churches even have sport leagues.
If you are considering homeschooling, you will be asked these questions often. Be prepared to deal with the criticism, but stand firm in your belief that you are doing what is best for your child. Regardless of what they may or may not miss out on.
Do you feel that your homeschooled child has missed out on anything?
Thank you for coming back for part 3 of the series, You Can’t Homeschool Because…. Check out the other posts in the series below.
Speaking of lies homeschool moms believe, check out this book!
There’s just as many “missing out” reasons for public school…
I can’t send my kids to public school because they will miss out on…
…fun and educational mid-week events during the school year.
…playing outdoor for long hours when it’s actually nice in Texas (Spring and Fall).
…being able to follow educational rabbit trails on a whim.
…quality time with mom.
…long term relationships built with kids at co-op since you have the same classmates every year.
…individualized education.
…sleep. Seriously, I love being able to let my child sleep until he is ready to wake up, no matter what disturbed his sleep the night before.
…etc.
And I say this as a mom with two kids in public school, two homeschooled. YES, there are things they miss out of from school (multiple teachers with various perspectives, lots more class discussion than we get from just a day a week at co-op, the “experience” of school, for better or worse, etc.) But it doesn’t necessarily outweigh what they miss by NOT homeschooling. There are so many times I wish my older kids could be with us to do some of what we’re doing in homeschooling (yes, technically, they can, but I gave them the choice…my middle child is joining my youngest to try out homeschooling this year, but my older son would miss his friends wants to stay where he is and since he’s doing well there I think that’s the right choice for him.).
Hi!For me, I work from home. I have worked from home for years because we have always needed the extra money. First for necessities, then for debt payoff, and now we like having the extra cushion. For more information about working from home check out my book (ad on side bar) also this post may be of some help to you! http://www.findingjoyinthejourney.net/affordinghomeschool/
My big question is: how do you afford it? I so want to be able to homeschool my daughters but there’s no way we can afford for me not to work! How do you all make it work? Seriously- this is not a criticism, its an honest question. Thank you.
Yes!! I LOVE that about homeschooling 🙂
We are doing a rec league this year as well. MUCH more relaxed!
We are also in Ohio but don’t do sports through the schools. We didn’t want to commit to every day practise. Instead, we use the rec league through a local rec center.
Since we started our homeschool journey a few years ago, with an 11th, 9th, 7th and 3rd grader, I have found that we now have MORE friends and more meaningful socialization than we ever did in Public school. I taught at their schools, I saw that it was not socialization at all, but just being in a peer group. Now with homeschool co-op and activities, they have friends of various ages and they actually “socialize”. Added bonus, mom gets friends too. 😉
Your busyness sounds familiar 😉 Don’t forget to socialize the kids!
Thank you for sharing this! I have had many questions such as these. Living in Texas, sports are a huge part of middle and high school (as are homecoming mums, and my daughter has no interest in those). It is quite funny how people assume that I homeschool to keep them protected against society, but in reality they have more interaction with society than most kids and teens (my kids are 11 and 13). Why? They are part of a hiking club with several other homeschooled teens who happen to have super cool moms who are my friends, they are paid to be mother’s helper and get to play and interact with little ones, they fundraise for the animal shelter and volunteer to love on the animals, my daughter is part of a dance company that has many ages of boy and girl dancers, my son does hip hop/parkour/baseball, they are actively a part of the youth group, they are trusted to animal sit and housesit for neighbors because they know how to communicate with people of all ages, they both help out in the church nursery, my son takes drum lessons and my daughter takes voice/piano/guitar and is not shy to perform. Nope, not socialized. 😀 Hehe!
That’s awesome! I am hoping as our homeschool group “ages” we can do things like that.
Our homeschool support group holds two dances a year which includes 7th to 12th graders, homeschool alumni, and parents. I have heard students say that they had a blast and one of those was a former public high school student. My kids have opportunities for field trips, cooperatives, and sports. I agree that most people are unaware of all that is available.
Exactly!
TaeKwondo is big around here 🙂 Looks like fun! Thanks for stopping by!
I love this post! My son is a green belt in Taekwondo. He goes four nights out of the week and has tons of friends. I agree that most people who do not homeschool are uninformed. Thanks so much. Sharing 🙂
I love your answer about prom. Lots of people either skipped or hated prom, or ruined their lives on that night. And homeschoolers can easily have friendships and sports. Most non-homeschoolers are simply uninformed about these things.