'I don't want to make any friends I know I can't have': Homeschooling parents ban teen from having any friends outside of their family

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Mar 23, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

When I was growing up, I was acquainted with several homeschooled kids. I did extracurricular theatre with a handful of them, and they were definitely on a spectrum regarding their social abilities. From my purview, the kids who seemed the most well-adjusted were the ones who had a vibrant and eventful social life outside of school. Kids who were enrolled in sports and art classes every night after school fit into social groups just as well as any publically or privately educated kid would. Granted, I didn't know any homeschooled kids who weren't enrolled in any extracurricular activities because extracurricular activities were the only place homeschooled and non-homeschooled kids were ever likely to meet!

There are tons of kids all across the country who experience little to no social interaction daily by nature of being homeschooled by controlling parents. One of these kids shared their story on r/HomeschoolRecovery, and it's heartbreaking to read.