Is it right for children to conform to societys expecations?
The idea, moreover, of expecting our children to conform to the demands of social life, suggests that they should be made to suppress their natural desires – and even beliefs – and conform to the majority. As Christians, our family believes it is wrong to conform to much of what goes on in the world; as home educators we are by definition non-conformist, since the majority of families send their children to school! In my view, it is far better to raise children who understand the reasons for social expectations and skills, and who are able to query things they disagree with. Mature children can easily understand the difference between moral issues and social or cultural issues. So when someone asks you, ‘How do you deal with the problem of socialisation?’ try finding out exactly what they mean by the word. Sometimes people seem to assume that home educated children are ‘hot-housed’ at home in isolation, rarely going out into the community. Or they imagine the caricature of a ten-year-o
