Public School Attendance Not Needed for the Development of Social Skills...

My three year old grandson is proof of that! He has never attended a public or private school, and has never been taught by a "certified" teacher, yet he can  (and will)  carry on a conversation with anyone he meets - young or old, stranger or not.  He is so friendly and out-going that he makes quite an impression on everyone he comes in contact with.  Strangers, especially!  In grocery stores, he will speak to any and everyone that he passes.  If they pause to respond to him, my grandson will talk about whatever interests him at the moment, and then tell them that he will go to their house to visit them.  If he sees other young children, he is quick to become friendly with them.  An introvert he certainly is not!  

Recently, some distant relatives (whom my grandson had never before met) came to visit his great-granny.  My grandson was there, as well, and he did not hesitate to make himself known to these relatives.  It is probably correct to say that he soon became the center of attention, and had them all enthralled.  At one point, one of the visitors spoke up and said something to the effect of, "Boy!  What a big personality in such a little body!"  lol!

My grandson does have a socialization problem, though.   He is TOO social!

On the flip side, I've seen kids who've attended public school and graduated from public school that are terribly shy and introverted.  Going to public school certainly hadn't helped their social skills any.

Then there are the gangs, cliques, and bullies that are so prevalent in the public schools. Studies by the U.S. Justice Dept. and the Dept. of Education show that between 34% and 54% of children in our public schools are bullied in the classroom.  (101 Reasons to Homeschool , reason #13, by: Mary Pride.)  Do public school officials want to take credit for the "social skills" (or lack thereof) of those bullies?  No?  Why not?  Aren't those bullies attending the public schools? 

When I first began homeschooling my own 7th grade daughter in 1996, the only negative comment that school officials said to me was:  "What about socialization?"  They thought that my daughter would not be exposed to proper social skills if she was educated at home.  What?!!!!!!  I found their concerns laughable.  After all, the very reason I was bringing my daughter home was because of the (negative) social "skills" she was learning from her friends at public school and then practicing at home!   Needless to say, I have never regretted my decision to homeschool.