Socialization is a myth. (warning: a rant)

So my biggest fear before homeschooling was how my kids would be socialized. Would they be weird if I homeschooled? Would I ruin them?

I knew two kids that went to our church that were homeschooled. They were NERDS; and it was obviously a result of being homeschooled. The most annoying thing about them was that they didn't know they were nerds. Completely oblivious! They obviously did not have the opportunity of being "clued in" to how nerdy they truly were since they had so much confidence in themselves...

Now wait a second. They were nerdy and they were confident. (how is that bad?)

I was so used to seeing the nerds at school having no self-esteem. They were nerdy and quiet. They kept to themselves and always looked sad/depressed.

Now wait a second again! There were nerds at school!?! How did public school fail them? I thought we all send our kids to school so that they become "socialized" or in other words, like everyone else so that they fit into society. So there shouldn't be any socially-misfit kids at school because they are all there being socialized, right?

OR... maybe, just maybe, whether a kid will be nerdy or socially "normal" is not determined by where they go to school, but who they are and who their parents are. Hmm... I think the latter is true.

Therefore, "socialization" is a myth. :D

Well, sort of. If you have a nerdy child, and you desire to send them to public school to be "socialized", they will be socialized. They will be that nerdy, no-self-esteem child that they ought to be.

Moreover, they will know their proper role in society. They will have experienced the "real world". We adults all know that in the real world everyone you interact with is your same age. And if you are a nerdy adult your peers will call you "stupid" and "fat-so" at work, and probably ignore you on your lunch break. So you might as well get used to it, beginning at the tender age of 5.

Does anyone else see the ridiculousness of this train of thought or is it just me?????

I'll admit it. I'm arrogant. I think homeschooling is a superior method of raising children and that it provides a superior education than public school. There may be some legitimate reasons some parents send their kids to public school, but "socialization" is not one them.

There are a lot of nerdy homeschoolers. And they are blissfully unaware of their nerdiness. And they are happy. And confident. That's what I want for my unsocialized, nerdy, homeschooled kids. Because in the "Real World", confidence matters.