Family members can be our best friends or our worst enemies. Teaching siblings how to get along with each other is one of the best ways to teach good boundaries and excellent social skills. We should not expect that our children will get along all the time or always enjoy each other's company. It is a rare family where the children do not have squabbles now and then; sometimes there are periods when there are a lot of them. If parents use these opportunities to instruct their child in how to get along with others, they are building foundations for forming healthy relationships.

If a child can get along with her sister that just took off with her bicycle or who is not doing her share of the chores, she will be better equipped to get along with the co-worker that is walking off with things from her desk or not taking responsibility for her work load. If children are taught how to maintain a good attitude and to be proactive in dealing with difficult people and situations at home on a daily basis, they will have an excellent foundation for dealing with all the different people they meet in the rest of life. Teaching our own children how to get along is the best way to start in building good friendships. Not only do they learn how to get along with others, but they also learn to turn to each other for companionship.

There are many types of activities that parents can get their children involved in to meet friends and learn social skills. This is especially good for families with only one child or children that are spaced very far apart. Finding a home school support group is often a good first step. Home school support groups usually include field trips as part of the group. If a family has a particular interest or area of study, they can plan a field trip and other people will sign up to go along. Support groups also have activities through out the year such as science fairs, international fairs, spelling bees, pot lucks and park days. After doing various things together with a group of people, familiarity builds and people get to know each other.

There are many other activities where children meet and interact with others apart from home school support groups. A short list would be church, neighbors, library groups, scouting, 4H, community groups, organized sports and band. In these ways, children get to know each other and build friendships. Many of these activities include children from families that use other educational options, so the children can easily have a wide range of interaction with people other than home schoolers.

Like many other American families, home educating families can have trouble finding a balance where they aren't involved in too many activities. Worries about children not having enough interaction with people outside the family are seldom heard. The most common concern about social interaction is about becoming too busy. There are so many activities available that it's easy to become overwhelmed with it all. The real issue is finding and maintaining a balance between outside activities and family life.

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Cynthia is a home educating mother to three children. She is a member of The Christian Writer's Guild.