How do you spend your days?

Are you out and about or do your children prefer to stay home?   As homeschoolers we all seem to be trying to find a balance we feel comfortable with. 

Of course it got me thinking about how much time we used to spend at home.  Now that I'm hunting for a job we're spending more time away from home and my son is not always pleased about that.  He has become a home-body that prefers the comfort of his four walls.

During the past five years of caring for my mother I worried about this even more.  Somehow I got the idea that his growth was being stunted in some way?  I wondered how he would handle himself in situations or environments he found uncomfortable?  Would he be able to act properly at a social event?

Then friends started pointing out how I wasn't doing my son any favors by continuing to homeschool him.  He is introverted and they didn't think it was healthy for him to be so shy.  Whatever their ideas are of how my son should or shouldn't be used to bother me more than I'd like to admit.

So, when my sister came for a visit this summer and we spent time away from home I saw my son playing on the beach, interacting with his aunts, and making decisions on his own without my input.  Even now he is able to talk with our neighbors, and answers questions from people we see at the store, library, and other places we frequent.  He has absolutely no problem carrying on a conversation with anyone.

I've realized my son will and is finding his own way socially.  Yes, we both would prefer to be home, but personal interaction with others is necessary.  We were not meant to be alone.  It's all about finding the right balance, and when presented our children will flourish.