For the past month, I’ve been giving away materials recommended in my book Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers. Now let’s give away a copy of the book itself, which is a curriculum for teaching teens values and skills for the adult world they’re about to enter.
But first, a question: what do you think is the biggest blessing that comes from homeschooling a teen? Leave your answer as a comment on this post by Friday, April 9 Sunday, April 11 at midnight, and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing for a free copy of Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.
One of the best blessings about homeschooling a teen is having the time cultivate a relationship that might not have otherwise blossomed had my teen been in school. I am so thankful for that.
The relationship we enjoy is the biggest blessing in homeschooling a teen. I think teens need their parents in a more intense way than many people realize and being able to help them navigate the waters into adulthood has been a sweet blessing for me and my husband.
My two are about to reach teenage years and our desire is continue to home school through graduation.
Thanks, Barb, for your encouragement and insights. There are many things worth noting. Here are a few: knowing where they are at all hours (yes, mischief CAN occur at school!), being the “go to” person in their life (as we should be), contributing in a positive way in all aspects of their life whether through discipline or encouragement (both are sorely lackjing in public school), being able to instill our values in them 24 hrs a day (and not that secular humanist lie they’d get at school), it’s cheaper than a private Christian school leaving money for other “special” things they might not enjoy otherwise. Ultimately it’s about building relationship that will last their lifetime, with us and with the Lord.
As others have said, the relationship is everything. Having the trust, time, and tolerance to deal with the mood swings, hormones, etc, because you’ve put in the time really *knowing* this child.
The biggest blessing for us as a homeschooling family is putting God first and instilling a confidence in her that otherwise might not have been developed as early and would have led her down a very rough road. I speak from experience in my own life.
We have 3 teens now and 2 more to come. Our biggest blessing is the time spent together, getting to know our kids and how to deal with the issues in their lives, helping them deal with those issues in biblical, Godly manners, growing in relationship as we drive around and back and forth. I love that we can talk and share, that we continue to have ‘real-time’ input. It isn’t a picnic, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else!
The biggest blessing is having the time to talk about issues that are important to them, without always being rushed!
Watching my baby mature into a young man has really given me hope that God can change lives. God has blessed me with the knowledge that I can empty myself, rebound from the failures of my parents, and build off the blessings from all the positive influences from my childhood to guide a young man to understand his world and help him know that God can do all things with those who believe and trust in Him.
This book seems very interesting as I have a 17 and 15 year old daughter.
They are home with me learning what I want them to learn.
the book looks good. The best thing about homeschooling teens is spending time with them and teaching them values. Susan
Being able to spend lots of time together, so that I can continue to have a big influence in her life.
There are so many blessings when you homeschool a teen! One of the big ones is having them actually enjoy spending time with the family – friends are secondary. Another blessing is being able to hear her opinions are everything she is learning and the fact that they are truly her opinions and not a teacher’s or textbook’s. I am so thankful to have my teens at home. Yes, it can be hard work but they are so worth it.
I think the bonding and relationships are a huge blessing. I doubt if my boys were in school, we’d have the same closeness. I enjoy hanging out with my boys.
The biggest blessing for me has been to see my teens not follow the “crowd.” They respect my advice and love me. I am soon to have my 4th homeschool graduate and I have 2 other teens and 3 younger students as well. I have had no major relationship problems with any of my kids. I am grateful for that and attribute it to having a secure and loving home/school environment where bible reading and prayer is encouraged.
I think the biggest blessing is that time spent together. Although I had a loving relationship with my parents I was always off doing something whether church related,work,school and time with friends. Homeschooling gives that parent and teen more of an opportunity to make a great relationship last.
I agree, Becky, it is nice to have that time together. 🙂