I found the perfect answer to this common question on a homeschooling forum. So instead of trying to come up with my own answer, I'm just going to memorize hers:
"The actual word most of us MEAN is social-IZING....to take part in
social activities. When someone says, "What about socialization", they
are meaning, "What about friends? What about Prom? What about having
play dates and going to the park....??"
The meaning of socialization is completely different and infers what a lot of people think about the "mindset" of public schooling that they want to avoid:
Socialization: the process by which individuals acquire the
knowledge, language, social skills, and value to conform to the norms
and roles required for integration into a group or community. It is a
combination of both self-imposed (because the individual wants to
conform) and externally-imposed rules, and the expectations of the
others."
