I was homeschooled through most of K-12 because I showed signs of depression at a very early age, and my mother didn't want to see her precious snowflake's creative spirit crushed by nazi conformist teachers.

A few of the homeschooler clichés are certainly applicable to me; I spent a lot of time watching The Price is Right instead of studying, and I had a hard time relating to other kids from the time I was 8 to around 14 or so (though I think that would have been the case regardless of any amount of "socialization" I'd have gotten at public schools).

I was allowed relatively free access to secular books, movies, and music, though. Rage Against the Machine (or anything else with constant F-bombs) was off limits until I was in my teens, but my parents were cool about me listening to REM, Smashing Pumpkins, and The Breeders from a fairly early age. I always had friends to hang out with, I dated, and I never really felt like I was especially different from anyone else I knew.

I did well in college (3.5 GPA or so), but ultimately dropped out because I was already making good money in my chosen field without a degree. I've done well in both blue and white collar jobs. I'm currently self-employed and making ends meet comfortably. I'm an atheist and a political moderate, and my conservative Christian parents are fine with that. I'm seriously dating (and hopefully soon to be engaged to) a profoundly secular woman who was at least a little floored to learn I was homeschooled -- apparently I don't seem like the "type".

I may be a completely atypical case, but for whatever it's worth, not all homeschoolers are fundie nutjobs. It has its pros and cons, just like any system of education. If a homeschooled kid can keep up with standardized testing, and can carry a conversation with his or her peers, then I think they're doing fine.

/Here's the part where someone finds a word I've misspelled and uses it to prove that my education was worthless.
//I wish *I* could ride a dinosaur. ._.