Well, Larry definitely has an idee fixe about homeschooling and I'm not
gonna continue arguing. I will say that if that's how you perceive the
parent/child relationship, you have my sympathy.

As for the isolation and success stuff, even though nobody supplied me
with their definition (Except a couple of folks seemed to imply that
"success" was getting a job as a mushroom in a cube farm. Not my idea
of success but de gustibus non disputandum, eh?), I seem to remember a
homeschooler/sailor named something like Robin Lee Graham (Had a little
boat named "Dove." Ring a bell for anyone?), who sailed completely
alone (not even domineering parents for socialization, oh my!) but
still somehow managed to make friends in various places around the
world and even met a girl and got married! Mais jamais de ma vie!

The things that can happen on a "deserted desert island of fiberglass."
Amazing, huh?