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It was all about my daughter and myself. We had developed an amazing system of communication ourselves. It was key to me that we work together throughout our new adventure into home education. That very commitment to each other and to absolutely 100% open communication was the answer I had been searching for. Socialization wasn't a problem that ever needed to be rectified.

To the outside parent/friend/loved one, it may seem like homeschool means sitting at home day after day, reading text books and never getting recess or a chance to play with other kids. How wrong they were. To us, homeschool is learning times a thousand. In every activity we do in a day, she is learning. We've gone back to the way I used to teach her, before there was even any formal education in our lives. It was a totally natural transition.

Her and I socialize and communicate on a level that few other kids her age could even attempt (except other homeschoolers). At the bank, the tellers are amazed at her ability to communicate with them, as if she were a customer. At the grocery store, she says "hi" and smiles to the checkers, even initiating conversations with them. The librarians smile at how well she understands and communicates throughout the checking-out-books process. Everywhere we go, she feels she is a part of all that goes on around her. So many children are taught to fear and conform to adults. I see my little girl learning to function amongst all kinds of people of any age.

As she continues to grow and learn about our society, she learns how much of a place she has in it. Her traditionally schooled friends never seem to think outside the box that is their classroom, because it isn't convenient for the teachers. How is that possibly considered good socialization?

I have so much comfort in the knowledge and realization that my daughter doesn't need to be stuck in an enclosed space, for a delegated period of time, with a group of kids exactly her age, in order to function. She is truly socialized in the community that surrounds her.

Learn more about this author, Amy Browning.
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