Homeschooled

Every time I mention to someone that I was homeschooled, I get the same reaction.

A. "Really? I would have never known..." uhh thank you? Ha ha I'll take that as a compliment.
B. "Do you think you missed out on anything?" Well judging by your previous statement, I assume you think I'm socially competent and don't snort at jokes and accidentally drool on myself (which happens occasionally, but I hide it well).

And the answer to that is no, I don't think I missed out on anything. I know high school (in particular) is supposed to be this great place where you make great memories and BFF's (until you go to college and grow up and see that hardly anything lasts forever), but it rarely is. Public school's really aren't that great.

One thing that I am really thankful for, about being homeschooled, is that I learned to get along with some very strange/nerdy people. The 'socially awkward' that people tend to push away from, are actually some of the most incredible people I've ever met. It really taught me to find the unique things in a person, and really value them for that. We can be teased and put down because of our differences, but once we learn to embrace and accept them, we really begin to see things from a new perspective and continue to grow and evolve as a person. I have learned so much about compassion and forgiveness (among other things) from people that many others wouldn't look twice at.

It also really taught me that to be myself, and to be different than others, is really okay. I think we all have to learn it at some point (although some people can be in denial of it their whole life ha ha), but it was a lot easier for me to do that in an environment that loved and supported me.

I've always thought about it I had children, whether I would homeschool them or not. When I was younger I always said I wouldn't because I did feel like I missed out on a lot. But the older I get and the more I see of the world, I see how absolutely blessed I was to have that opportunity. Not to mention having my mom give up so much to do it for us (YIKES). Sending us to school could have been her free time to do what she wanted, but she gave it up to ensure we had a good education.

I do think being homeschooled can make some people very socially awkward, but I wonder if it is better for them to be that way and be comfortable with it, than be in a environment where they feel pressured to conform to someone they are not.