Socialization (Myth or no?)

A friend told me that writing when I do not field inspired is more important then writing when I am inspired.  Today is one of those days.

The most common argument against homeschooling is the lack of socialization that kids receive.  While there is some truth to this argument for many homeschooled children, this issue is more complex than one might think.  Some homeschooling websites argue than their kids are better socialized than public school kids.   Is this just a matter of perspective?  I say, no.  Much of this has to do with how parents (or whoever they put in charge of their kids) plan the kids weekly schedule, how social the kids are, and where they live (near other kids or out in the country).

Our kids attend a number of activities outside the house such as soccer, ballet, a gym group, swimming, scouts, religious education at church, tennis, and piano lessons.  Some of these activities are with other homeschoolers and some are with school kids.  While our kids participate in a variety of activities, there are some missing pieces.  Public school kids spend up to five days a week together, in different classes, with kids their age, in classrooms and on the playground.  In public schools, there's a good chance that kids can meet other kids in their neighborhood.  In my experience, our kids may see the same kids once or twice a week for a few hours at most.  Their time is all structured, unless we get together with the kids outside of the organized activities (which rarely happens). 

Some parents that homeschool do a better job at socializing their kids than others.  It takes a lot more work to micromanage the kids social life on top of micromanaging their academics.  Young children learn just as much through social interactions as they do academics.  My suggestion is that parents who aren't very social would be better off putting their kids in public school so their kids get a chance to learn how to get along with others and make friends.  These are skills that will last a life time. You can be the smartest person in the world, but that won't do you much good if you can't get along with others.