homeschooled kids are weird

No offense to all the "weird" people out there, but "weird" kids come form "weird" families, public schooled, private schooled or homeschooled. That is really the end of the argument for me - cuz' I never met any weird kids while attending public school, right

I'd print things out to have around the house rather than sending him to online articles - they'd be much more likely to get picked up and skimmed or read when he's at leisure. And I'd work on developing your own comfort and articulation with the common arguments against homeschoolers. You could really benefit from two books in particular: Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense, by David Guterson, and Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Education, by John Taylor Gatto. Guterson is now a bestselling novelist, but he wrote Family Matters when he was still a high school English teacher who was tired of the ongoing criticism he got from colleagues and others over the fact that he and his wife were homeschooling their children. Gatto was NY State Teacher of the Year before quitting because he couldn't support a system he no longer believed in - his book is quite powerful. And this link will lead you to a good thread that has links to a number of other good threads in which people here discuss their similar stories and successes, their tips, resource suggestions (Guterson and Gatto books are repeatedly recommended), and general support:
DH is *really* concerned about socialization

Be sure to print out this wonderful legal abstract that was published in the Widener Law Review: Evidence for Homeschooling: Constitutional Analysis in Light of Social Science Research - it's packed with the kind of thing you're looking for. The authors were careful to include only objective research and analysis rather than depending on opinions and anecdotes from homeschoolers.

And if you can befriend a few families from that co-op and get together with them for some a little bit of social time at your home, he'd have a chance to meet some other dads and children who are quite normal.

Best of luck! Lillian

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Yep! And parents who were "weird" and had a miserable time in public school because of it are parents who are likely to consider homeschooling as an alternative for their own kids.

I can see two other issues your husband may be experiencing:

1. The Fundamentalist Christian homeschooler stereotype.

2. Kids who are "weird" are often kids who aren't being served well in one way or another by the public school system. Very gifted kids, kids with learning disabilities, kids with psych problems, or on the autism spectrum, that sort of thing. Because public schooling may be failing these kids, you're more likely to see their parents pull them out to homeschool. So, from that standpoint, there may be a higher proportion of "weird" kids being homeschooled. But that's a cause of homeschooling, not an effect of homeschooling.

(Also, there's not necessarily anything wrong with being "weird". Kids who are "weird" in public school often grow up, find their niche, and lead happy and rewarding lives.)

This is my sister's argument as well. Her dd is excelling academically in school, but grows frustrated by the other kids in class who do not follow directions and cause so many disruptions. My sister could hs her, but is concerned that hs kids can be weird.

Funny she told me that because I hs my kids and she adores my kids, so whatever...

But I pointed out that we all knew weird kids in school too. And yes, hs kids do tend to be different from kids who go to school all day, but to us, that's a good thing

Back when I was a kid in the early '70's, homeschooling wasn't a popular option (at least where I was raised). Those who did homeschool were very private and kept their children on a very tight leash as far as public exposure. And yes, many of those children turned out to be a bit unusual. I'll be that's where your DH is getting that homeschooled children are weird. However, things have evolved so much on that front! Today's homeschooled child interacts with their peers (who often are homeschooled as well, though not always), gets out of the house, has a choice of curriculum, and often many towns actually have activities for homeschooled children. I know our YMCA has classes and activities through the day that could only be for homeschoolers, and when I lived in FL there was a huge association for the homeschoolers with activities going on constantly as well as different sporting leagues. I'd start with trying to find out where the perception came from with your DH. If his only real exposure was similar to mine as a child, then it's more a matter of showing him what HSing is and isn't nowadays.

The homeschool kids I've met (my own included) are weird in the sense that they're not into impressing peers. I just finished "Deer Hunting with Jesus" and the author was pointing out how homogenized people are now. It really rang true to me.

I want my kids non-homogenized, thanks And it's true that weird kids come from weird families. It's just that the weirdos who homeschool are happy with themselves and their quirks. They don't need some peer group deciding what is enjoyable or not. When my daughter picks out clothes, she is picking out things she likes, not things that will impress her friends.

And Dumbing us Down is a great book to keep in the bathroom

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Yep. I met a ton of kids when I home schooled my dd. Many of them were oddballs. One or two were on their way to being sociopaths. Ah... and before anyone flames me, I'm talking about a couple of kids who killed frogs and minnows while we studied the lake. Old enough to know that they were killing... and their mom didn't say one word to them. I and my dd were pretty horrified.

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I think that homeschooling can remove the social pressure which teaches children how to act in a way that society expects. In the absence of that pressure, kids are often "weird".

I don't think this is a bad thing. But I've seen it over and over again.

Many of my friends had their kids in preschool and at some point decided to homeschool. Their kids did mostly become "weird" after they took them out of school. But, again, that's not a bad thing. However, to say that it doesn't happen is dishonest.

My husband had about the same reaction. He was tired of being the "wierd" family who coslept, had children who nursed a long time etc. But, after presenting the idea to him (and he totally freaked out & shut it down, which is really unusual for him), he did just what this poster suggested:

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And he realized that he had been relying more on stereotypes than real life, and he changed his mind. He's thrilled we're homeschooling now.

That said, I think a lot of what other posters said about "wierd" rings true for our family as well - dd doesn't have that social pressure, and she is exposed to less commercial stuff.

Oh, and at five, my dd wanted a weedwhacker for Christmas. Um?? What??? But that's what she wanted, and my brother & his wife found a kids' weedwhacker for her with googles etc. It was hilarious.

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I'm not getting your point. The kids we know that are like what you describe are all public schooled - doesn't prove anything other than you will find all kinds of kids in all kinds of situations and that "weird" is not necessarily a function of the form of schooling - which is what the OP was asking about.

OP I agree with the suggestion to get to know some homeschooling parents/families and let your husband see what they are like IRL.

Good luck
Karen