When someone utters the word "homeschooler" what comes to mind?

A girl decked out in a denim dress, a turtleneck layered underneath, opaque black tights, black mary jane shoes, 80's bangs and a side ponytail?

A boy who looks like he is heading off to a Boy Scouts meeting, complete with khaki cargos, hot sleeved button up shirt that is tucked in, of course, a digital sports watch and white New Balance tennis shoes that may just be velcro?

That scene from "Mean Girls"?

I'll be the first to admit, there are indeed homeschoolers like this who exist. The reason so many people have that image, and only that image, in their head, however, is because that's what the media is constantly telling everyone. From simple scenes like the one from "Mean Girls" mentioned above to shows like "19 Kids and Counting" that feature the Duggar family, that is who we are portrayed to be.

I was homeschooled from first grade through 12th grade. By all means, I should have been the awkward kid who couldn't make eye contact because my entire schooling career I was locked up in my house, right? Nope.

My parents owned a local business in our town. This forced us to get out of the house every day. I wasn't limited to a class of 20 kids who I was stuck in a room with from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Instead, we had dozens of customers come in and out every day. I was able to meet, greet and socialize with people from all walks of life. From the customers who came in who had known me since I was a baby, to the person who was window shopping and something caught their eye. I met them all. I talked to them all. I wasn't afraid to speak to strangers.

One of my favorite things is when I tell someone I was homeschooled. Nine out of 10 times these exact words come from their mouth:

"You were homeschooled? I would never have guessed!"

That's usually followed with a comment about how well spoken I am, or how I wear normal clothing. If only I had a dollar for every time this happened. I would have a lot of dollars. (Hey, math wasn't my strong suit, English was. The stereotype that we're all nerds isn't true either.)

Homeschooling was great. It meant that our vacations didn't have to be constrained to the five days at Christmas that everyone got off. We could pack up our car, our syllabus, and our school books, then head off to Florida for two weeks. School books were read by the pool, recess was a cannonball contest with other kids on vacation.

It meant that even though my sisters we a lot older than me, I was able to grow up with them.

Homeschooling meant that I spent almost every waking moment with my mom. We now have a great relationship, and I consider her one of my best friends. Trust me, being best friends with your mom is a really good thing. Not only do you get an awesome best friend, but she usually picks up the tab at Panera, too.

There were some downsides to homeschooling. I knew a lot of people who were homeschooled, but not everyone had the same views on how to let their children socialize. I was looked down upon by some other kids because I listened to Gangnam Style. I was scolded for having it playing at someone's house during a get-together.

"Don't you know what that really means?"

"No. I don't think it means anything really."

"It's an innuendo."

Um, okay? It's a good thing they didn't see what else was on my playlist. "Hips Don't Lie" has proven to corrupt many homeschooled minds. *sarcasm*

*News flash, cliques do exist within homeschool communities. They just don't roam school halls.*

In the end, the social awkwardness of the child comes down to the parent. If you're only going to let your children talk to other homeschoolers, and listen to the Kidz Bop version of songs, then you can sure as heck expect that they won't know what to do when they encounter an "infamous" public schooler.

I, on the other hand, was allowed to date one of those "scoundrels." Sure, he wasn't allowed to come to Home School Spring Formal with me. (He would obviously corrupt the youths.) But I was able to attend his prom instead. We had a blast, and now all of his high school friends are my friends. I'm even closer to kids he went to school with than other homeschoolers.

So to the homeschooled kids and parents reading this— don't shelter your children, you're just perpetuating stereotypes. It's okay to let them listen to the radio every once in awhile. (Except when Miley's on. Then we turn it off. No. Just no.)

And to all the people who think all homeschooled kids are actually characters from "Little House on the Prairie," we're not. I've only worn a bonnet to reenact Laura Ingalls Wilder once. It was for Halloween. I'm not constrained to floor length skirts, I'm allowed to wear pants.

Don't believe me? Check out my fashion blog.