I always enjoy reading your thoughts on these things. I agree that everyone is different, so we've really had no particular philosophy as a family. My daughters are so different in character that they each have their own ways. My eldest is more like you in that competition with others used to drive her. This could, at times, be detrimental to her, though. I'm more for competing with myself and seeing if I can improve on my previous. My youngest is probably more like me, that way, although she mostly just wants to enjoy what she's doing.

My girls used to do extracurricular activities like dance and gymnastics, which is mainly where they had the opportunity to develop camaraderie. Their closest friends were some other homeschoolers who used to live nearby, though. They moved interstate, but still keep in touch.