That's a completely valid point. Anecdotal evidence is pretty weak for most things. But I think the point I was trying to make (albeit poorly) is that one who is never forced to face very unpleasant consequences for failure, who is never bullied, or is never taught without thought given to how entertained the student is, is one who is only nominally prepared for the harsh realities of adult life.
I still think you're succumbing to two major flaws in your logic:
- You presuppose that home schooled children will never experience the traits you listed - being bullied, having unpleasant consequences for failure, being "bored," and so on.
- You assume that all public school children experience all of those qualities in their public schooling.
Regarding (1), I don't see why home schooling has to be that way. Perhaps the home schooled persons you know had it that way - a focus on not being bored, no negative consequences to failure, and so on - but who says it has to be that way? Why can't a home schooled child be told something like, "You have to do your _insert boring task here_ lessons now. I know it's not fun, but this is important to learn. Sit down and get cracking." And I posit that a home school child has more pressure to succeed at home than at school. A poorly performing public school child can hide his grades, lie to his parents, etc. And a parent who home schools their child can put the same punishments in effect for not succeeding academically, such as no playing with toy X until you get your grades up, or whatever. Additionally, there are outlets outside of the home school where kids can have social interactions: sports leagues, clubs, etc. For example, I was in Boy Scouts throughout elementary school and there were sufficient amounts of bullying and teasing to give a home schooled child the experience!
Regarding (2), I think there are plenty of schools in poorer areas where there is not an impetus to succeed. Rather, teachers are more focused on teaching the requisite curriculum and getting the kids onto the next grade. Also, not all public schooled children experience bullying or even mild teasing. Do you think the star quarterback or prom queen is getting bullied?
For the record, I was public schooled and my mom has been a public school teacher her entire life. However, I plan on home schooling my daughter. Not because of religious reason (I'm not), not because of wanting to "protect" her from those that are different (I like different people), but rather because I think we can provide a more focused curriculum and foster her emotional and mental growth in a more positive way than is possible with public schools. That's the plan, anyway, we'll see how it works out.