Socialization????

This is the word you hear the most when you say "I am homeschooling my children". This baffles me a bit. I wonder what exactly peoples definition of "socialize" is. God has laid it on my heart to answer the question "will you socialize your children?" When people say this word I assume they are impying that if you send your children to school public or private, then you will be properly socializing your children.

Will I socialize my children? The quick answer is no I do not plan on socializing my children.............(pause for the gasp after reading that statement). The long answer. If socializing my children means, will I allow my children to spend countless amounts of time "hanging" out with other children the same age with no agenda or purpose. NO I do not plan to do that with my children. Why you ask? Good question. As an adult in what situation in life do you get to or should get to do this. I mean, I guess people that have no jobs or neglect their families do this but that is not what I wish for my children. I do plan to teach them to be able to properly communicate and to respect other people. Whether or not they are their age or 50 years older. I plan to teach them that idol time is dangerous and that there is no need to spend indefinite amounts of time with other people accomplishing nothing.

.........I am figuring there is need for another gasp by now. Do you not think that you children need friends? This may be another question you ask after reading that. Well NO! .........ahhhh what is this woman thinking...haha. The long answer, I do not see a need to teach my children that you should have lots of friends and that you should spend lots of time with those friends. I do however want to teach my children to BE a friend. To know how to love people whether or not they are lovable. To be able to recognize a need in someone and how to go about meeting that need. I want them to learn to put others needs above their own and that there is great joy in doing so. I love peole and have dear friends but it took me years to realize what role friends are really supposed to play in my life. I do not plan to criple my children in their young adult years with this same problem.

Most of all I do not plan to teach my children that friends=happiness. You know as well as I do that you can be in a room with 100 other people that are friends and still feel completely empty inside. I want to teach my children their worth in God's eyes. To know who they are, why they are here and that nothing can separte them from the love of God. So that whether they are standing in a room with a hundred people or completely alone (which we all know that is the way life leaves us sometimes!) that they are at peace with God and with themselves! Then will the joy of the Lord be their strength.

There is WAY too much emphasis on socializing in the sense that most people use it. My goal is to train and equip my children to become God loving, people serving and self respecting adults.