Oh, so that's what they mean by . . .

SOCIALIZATION.

For those of you who either don't homeschool or know someone who does, the "S Word" is considered quite profane by many in the autodidactic community (an autodidact is a self-directed learner).

To other homeschoolers, it's just plain silly and/or not applicable to their lives full of extracurriculars, field trips, academic competitions, sports, scouts, and the like.

To me, it's a no-brainer in light of the most recent -- but by no means the most shocking (I save that for school shootings) -- debacle to manifest in public schools. I'm talking about the so-called "pregnancy pact" discovered at a New York high school that's resulted in 17 pregnant young women.

Peer pressure in the extreme?

Peer pressure that's part and parcel of, you guessed it, "socialization."

If that's the vital skill homeschooled students are going to be lacking then more power to 'em.