Clare is different, but it's not because she is homeschooled. We decided to homeschool precisely BECAUSE she was different. She never had friends in school because she was never into the stupid silliness of the girls in her class. She wasn't into the clothes, hair, music, boys and stuff like that when she was in 5th 6th and 7th grades, so she felt like a real outcast. When we started homeschooling, she met other kids and they all developed a similar interest Japanese Anime and things like that, so she felt more 'at home'.
I'm with Clare!
I was the one kid that would end up on my own on the playground, and was always picked on by the popular clique. I can remember coming home crying all the time. If anything, homeschooling made me MORE sociable than I was by nature, partly because we hung out with other homeschoolers, who were interested in activities and in actually TALKING instead of just one-upping each other. Not that all public school kids are like that, but a lot are.
My brothers (also homeschooled) are much more outgoing. Just the way they are. But you know, people would STILL look at the group of us and pick ME out as the "normal" homeschooler and say my brothers just somehow overcame the difficulties of homeschooling to become well-socialized, and THEY were the flukes. As if natural personality had no play in the matter...