Is "socialization" important?

Because it’s a good thing to get to know nice people, whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. They could end up to be great friends.

Yes, it is important !

Is he well socialized with adults? I was. I was like a little old lady.

Kids at school either bullied me or ignored me. I talked it over with my mother and concluded I’d rather have NO friends than have bad ones, so I grew up with very few friends. It wasn’t much fun, but I still think it’s true. But I’m female.

I’ve heard that (in general) boys like to compete. If he isn’t around other boys he won’t be able to do that, and a computer coding class doesn’t provide much interaction.

When this class is over, why don’t you enroll him in karate instead? He’ll have lots of opportunity to interact with boys (and girls) of all ages. A good karate instructor always insists on everyone treating others with respect. I wish I’d had that opportunity when I was growing up. I’m sure I’d have had a better childhood.

Yes.
“Socialize… v. t. 1. To render social; esp., to train for social environment. 2. To adapt to social needs or uses. ...” -from Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1960 ed.

Without socialization, we couldn’t get along with anyone, not even selectively.

I agree, socialization is important, but if a child, for whatever reason “has too mature language” (whatever that means!) will need adult guidance (and protection) to learn to play well with others.

I was well socialized, but I had no clue how to interact with other children. My mother told me that once I grew up I’d be able to make friends more easily, because I thought more like an adult. She was right.

What does he do at home?

Trying to force socialization on an introvert tends to backfire, and get them to resent you and close off from you, and make them unhappy.

I don’t know the child or the psychiatrist, or why the kid was being examined by a psychiatrist, but I would ask the psychiatrist to fully explain to you his reasoning, and what he thinks of the idea that the child might be a content introvert.

I think it is good to have some social interaction, but obliging kids to socialize may not work so well, depending on the kids involved.

Introverts tend to be happy to find other kids they actually can relate to. I would suggest giving kids access to other kids with no pressure to interact, and then asking them if they like any of the other kids and if so, seeing if they can be given opportunities to hang out together outside organized events.

^^^^ that. Thank you.

Young men need to be around each other if anything just to learn how to work together. It’s a tragedy when people never learn this or learn too late.
My neice is like this, she thinks more like an adult and has not been properly guided or coached on how to interact with other children. while she is very intelligent speaking “too mature for her age” is clearly a result of being an only child with little to no access to other children. It is hard for her and her instinct is to keep to herself when she is now. Accommodating this is akin to coddling her and has caused her even more trauma. I agree socialization is very important. If the child still wants to be an introvert and keep to themselves that is perfectly fine but never learning to work with others is not. It may not be easy to distinguish if it is that or just plain old introversion in children.

I think people are social creatures. They need to learn early how to interact with others…socialization…so they can know how. We interact with people all day long. Not all of them are our friends…in fact most are not. But understanding how to interact with people is an important trait. Life is full of good and bad people. Sometimes we run into bullies, but we need to understand that and how to deal with it. That being said, not everyone has as much need for socializing as others. Just as there are people that surround themselves with people, there are those that don’t find the appeal in it. Some people find interacting to be difficult and draining. That doesn’t mean we need to allow those children to just avoid it, but need to make them understand some interaction is necessary, why it is important, and how to best deal with it.

When someone homeschools their child, the general assumption seems to be that they are trapped in the house with no contact with the outside world.
That’s a load of crap.
When I homeschooled my daughter for a while we belonged to a couple of groups that did stuff together, field trips, game groups, etc. We lived in a neighborhood with lots of kids. She was exposed to (and made friends with) kids of a bunch of ages.

“Socialization” happens when a person is e posed to other persons. School is not the only way to do that.

@canidmajor and @Zaku exactly.

Socialization saved me, basically. I learned so much from my friends and their families, it changed my entire life, thought patterns and goals.

I believe it’s a good thing as it will teach him how to handle the different kinds of people and situations that he will encounter in his lifetime.
There’s nothing wrong with being a loner but there are a lot of interesting things out there to see and experience.
:)

We, as a species, are a pack animal, it’s just what we do.
Now granted, that pack can be brutal & unforgiving at times as we grow, but we’re a helluva lot better off in than out.

@Dutchess_lll In addition to his schoolwork, he plays games and watches videos on his computer, and rides his scooter. He has a younger brother, also being homeschooled. The two of them interact a lot.

Socialization is a skill. There will be times in your life where it will come in handy.

Also choosing to be a loner is different than being a loner because you lack the skills to socialize.

Q: Is it bad to choose to not socialize?
A: Not necessarily.

Q: Is it bad to be unable to socialize?
A: Probably.

A person can be an introvert and a loner, and still get socialization.

My first cousin raised her daughters in complete isolation because she didn’t want them to be picked on or bullied. They are suffering for it now, Neither one turned out normal.

Loners can still interact with other children.

I love this question. I have a lot of opinions on this I don’t know where to start.

I actually think it’s only useful in environments that are healthy, otherwise it can be harmful.

It’s an instinct to be somewhat social, since humans are utterly defenseless. Strength in numbers.

@Dutchess_lll Thank you, I now see that there are many kinds of “socialization”, and associating with school children is only one – which does not work for everyone.

Well they do need interaction with kids their own age. Public school isn’t the only place where that can happen.

@Dutchess_lll “with kids their own age” That’s not true. The idea that we must segregate children into others of the same age group in order to socialize them well is a common misconception of modern society. Actually, children and people in general need lots of interaction with people of all ages if they are going to be well socialized.

I never suggested segregation.