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.
To me, one of the biggest blessings of homeschooling my teen is to be able to watch how she applies the faith she has been taught into her everyday life situations with siblings, friends, at church, in public. I love that we can talk about what to do in different situations and that we have open lines of communication to talk about life, faith, growth, etc.
Hi Barbara,
I think the greatest blessings…if I had to pick one…would be the friendships formed between the teen and the parents and siblings. When a child goes to school, members of his peer group are his greatest confidants. Although they all have dear friends, my teens hang out with each other and with mom and dad without embarrassment or reservation.
Have a blessed weekend,
Carol
My first thought was the sheer fun of studying with them, bouncing ideas off each other, discussing, analyzing, etc.
But even though that’s wonderful, I think it’s more of a blessing to KNOW our teens as people, to enjoy a relationship with them, and to see them interacting with friends and out there in the world as people that we’d like to get to know if we didn’t already.
The biggest blessing that comes from homeschooling a teen is being party to their random yet deep thoughts at all hours of the day or night. Without warning, they will ask a question that makes me think and search MY heart, yet I didn’t even realize they were contemplating life at such a deep level. School subjects take a back seat to a 2 hour long discussion about life and God and the “what-ifs” in life. Teens and early twenties come back again and again for deep discussions with Dad and Mom b/c they have already experienced our listening-without-rebuke ear. Teens are a blessing!
Pure and simple: the greatest blessing of homeschooling teens (or any age, for that matter), is getting to be with and enjoy them for many more hours than if they were at school ever day. I learn from my children every day. How lacking my days would be if they were not here to share them with me.
I don’t have a teen just yet, my oldest is 12, but what I can say is that I have SEEN what homeschooled teens look like, and I love it. True, they are not perfect, who is? But I have noticed a distinct difference in the way that they relate to others and the drive they have to accomplish their goals. I can only pray that my kids will have the same.
My oldest is also 12, and I am really looking forward to the teen years. I have hopes for our family relationships growing rather than diminishing, and look forward to many interesting times together.
I think one of the biggest blessings homeschool my teenager has been our relationship and the ability for him to feel comfortable and confident to come to me to discuss problems. We play together, listen to music together, watch tv together and have such a close and wonderful relationship. I know this is because we also learn together!
Hello, I would like to be entered in a giveway. The books look very good.
Spending time homeschooling a the teen strengthens the bond between parent and child which will hopefully mitigate the child’s desire to become overly entrenched in popular culture and its detrimental effects.
For now, I am patiently waiting to realize the blessings of having a homeschooled teen. When we began this journey, we believed our children would have a much simpler life and be spared all the drama typically found in school. What we are finding is that the teen years are full of difficulty, soul-searching and feelings of inadequency even without peer pressure. Daily we pray that sibling bonds will grow and the calm after the storm is near.
I think that my greatest blessings from educating my young adults at home have been: watching how they apply the things we’ve learned come alive in other settings, seeing their persistence and perseverance in new situations, and wonderful conversations at all times of the day and night!
Having the opportunity to spent real quality time with them. Our son blessed us with just this one sentence many years ago after visiting some wealthy friends.
“I’m glad I have you around to raise me instead being out for 3 weeks making money.”
Maybe if we all heard that we wouldn’t be in the financial mess we’re in thinking our kids needed every toy and activity in the world. They just needed us!
I think the biggest blessing the is relationship you continue to grow and strengthen with your teen. They are exciting to watch as they emerge into adulthood and have all the vigor and optimism of youth.
It’s been a great blessing for me to actually help them discover who they are.
Cindy t
I think the biggest blessing is that I really get to know my own kids and their friends. It’s so cool that my kids have friended me on facebook…and so have their friends (at their request, not mine)! It definitely keeps me young, lol.
I love homeschooling my teenager (together with her younger siblings). Doing so helps cement the family bonds and the family values that are so much more important than academics.
I think the greatest benefit is the strong relationships that we’ve developed with our children. It is a blessing to see them grow into capable adults who like to spend time with us, too. 🙂 Homeschooling our children all the way through was one of the best decisions we ever made. Great contests, Barbara, thanks for doing this. Blessings for the week!
I cherish the time spent with our soon-to-be 11-yr-old son and wish I’d homeschooled our now 15-yr-old daughter. I’m looking forward to seeing how he meets the challenges of the teen years and am eager to help him and to continue helping our daughter, too, as I think these years, for me, have some of the strongest character-building memories. I see these years as the threshold to adulthood for kids that see us relinquishing the tightest grip, letting them stumble and learn, and confidently move on. I’m excited, for myself as much as for them!
Time goes by so quickly. My daughter will be a teenager before I know it. My prayer is that she will have a much easier time than I did as she goes through the teen years. I am very blessed that the Lord called me to homeschool her. We have a wonderful relationship because of it! 🙂
Thanks and God bless!
I am still sort of in denial that I almost have a teen, but I imagine the biggest blessing will be watching him mature in his relationship with God. I also look forward to all the things we will learn together. He has already started explaining science to me. 😉
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
I love that our daughter still loves to do things with the family. She has her friends but will often turn down an invitation because she wants to participate in a family activity. What a joy to not feel like an intruder in my own child’s life.
My son just turned thirteen, but I at this point I think the biggest blessing is I’m giving him the time and opportunity to explore his God-given talents and abilities. I believe if he were in a traditional school he wouldn’t have the time to pursue his the subjects he is really passionate about as he does now.
Like many of the others here I believe it is the relationship you are able to build with your teen. And the relationship between the siblings. Children that go off to school for 8+ hours a day can become ‘disconnected’ from the home relationships.
My children love being around us and having us around. They are not afraid to come to us with questions that other kids would only talk to peers about (and usually be misinformed in the process)They enjoy the presence of their brothers and are each others best support system – not their friends – their own brothers. You can not replace the family dynamics no matter how many friends you surround yourself with.
Thank God for our ability to homeschool!
Homeschooling a teen is a blessing in ways I didn’t imagine. Everyone said how horrible the teen years are, I have found that not to be the case. She has moments, like we all do, but she has become my friend not just my child. It is fun to see her grow into the young woman God is calling her to be, which is nothing convential for sure! Homeschooling allows her to just be “her”. I have been wanting Life Prep for a long time, fun giveaway! Thanks, Christa
csterken@att.net
I am only at the beginning of homeschooling teens – a 14 year old daughter – and it is more challenging than I ever thought it could be. That being said, the best part for me is the “iron sharpening iron” aspect of having a daughter who share her heart – albeit at 11:00 pm! – and who challenges me in my own areas of hypocrisy, sin or pride. Her friends are delightful and they too share their hearts, struggles and we get to enter their lives and encourage and train them up. They have even started their own bible study and prayer time!
Go God!
I have a 14 year old daughter. I think the biggest blessing is the discipleship that happens at those unexpected moments; praying for a sick family member as the need arises, making a meal together for someone in need, preparing for our monthly outreach to women together. As we begin her high school years, I can’t wait to see what God has in store for her as she grows into a women of God!
My 14 year old daughter is an only child, and I have been blessed to watch her blossom and mature before my eyes. The older she gets the more I like her! She’s beautiful, smart and her heart belongs to Jesus! Homeschooling (which we didn’t start until 5th grade) hasn’t been without it’s challenges, and now that we approach the high school years there is so much to think about and consider. But it was one of the best decisions we ever made. She loves to write and wants to be a writer (her particular writing of choice is Fiction, mainly action/adventure/fantasy writing) and is not 100% sure that she wants to go the traditional full college route after high school yet. And so I think this book (Life Prep) would be a great source of information! Thanks, Melissa
Right now with a 14 year old going into his freshman year and NOT wanting to be homeschooled, my biggest blessing is the promise God has given me that he will use my efforts for His good in my son’s life. Knowing my son is seeing and feeling Jesus in me, even though he does not want it, there is hope for the future!
Well, technically I don’t have a “teen” yet – (my oldest is 12), but if he is any indication, I think I have an idea what I’m going to love about homeschooling a teen. I think the relationship he has with his 6 sisters is priceless, and one that he would not have if he were in public schools. This book sounds great, I’m looking forward to reading it!
I love that we share laughter all day long as she learns. I love that she is learning life skills and what it really takes to keep a home and take care of little children. I love that I am able to answer all of her questions, and not relying on strangers who I may or may not agree with 🙂
My oldest child is still a “tween” but I am looking forward to teaching him through his high school years. There are so many blessings that come along with homeschooling but the time we get to spend together every day is probably one of the biggest. I am so thankful to be teaching him about our beliefs and to be able to teach each subject from a Christ centered point of view.
The biggest blessing I get from homeschooling my teens is reaping the fruit of what they’ve been taught in their younger years. Having awesome talks and being able to gradually evolve from parent to friend during the years from 13 to 18 is a joy.
My biggest blessing is starting to see the fruit of the years we have invested homeschooling and building relationships with our children. I can see my son becoming a man and taking on responsibility, and so far I have been relieved to skip much of the “teen angst” I see in the world. I’m looking forward to the relationship we will have with our son when he is an adult and on his own.
My 12yr. old son has done so much physical, emotional and intellectual growth since we started homeschooling last year. I am amazed how blessed he has been even though he is medically challenged.(type 1 diabetes)It goes to show the challenges in life only make us stronger.
The biggest blessing we receive as homeschoolers is that it allows our 12 yr. old son to be able to spend some quality time with his father, who is a restaurant manager. Crazy work hours would keep father and son from seeing one another if we were on a traditional schedule or in the school system.
Watching them continue to grow into the person God has created them to be, seeing the growth academically and spiritually. Pondering how fast the years have gone by.
The greatest blessing of homeschooling my daughter is the quality time we have been blessed to spend together!
The greatest blessing is simply being together. My husband died suddenly and unexpectedly 18 months ago, and without my daughter I would have withdrawn from life and the world. During that first week a friend said to me, “She’s there to pull you into the future”, and that has been profoundly prophetic.
My blessings from Homeschooling 7 kids ages 25-8 has been watching them grow in their love for Lord,The way they get along so well,helping eachother,giving hugs when they are hurt..just the closeness of the whole family!
The greatest blessing of homeschooling my now young adults through their teen years was allowing them the time they needed to discover their passions and gifts. It was great to get to know who they were and develop a good relationship with them.
The greatest blessing for me is observing the curiosity of my 12 year old son, which was previously stiffled before he came home. The joy I have of watching his imagination and knowledge come together is priceless. I know him in a way I never thought possible.
I’m enjoying the quality time I get to spend with my teen. I’m able to see him growing in Christ every day.
My son is almost 15 and is doing 5th grade work due to learning disabilities. He would be “left behind” in a traditional school and as long as we see progression at home he can feel secure in the fact that he WILL make it
in the real world. I would love to have the Life Prep book to make sure I am covering the important things in life instead of some of the fluff that is taught in public schools.
i love that we can talk about God at any time during the day, that my son’s belief in God is becoming a natural part of who he is, that he knows what he thinks and isn’t afraid to say it. i am so glad to be able to keep him from hanging around with that crowd at school that you don’t really want influencing your kids. i’m glad that i can be the one he talks to. and i love how sweet he still is!
I am so blessed to be able to homeschool my teen. She has grown into a lovely, witty, exceptionally thoughtful and independent young lady. I have enjoyed watching each grow into themselves and have appreciated the humor of each. But this ADHD child has suffered much frustration and self-abasement. To see her enjoy life; to watch her incredible work ethic; to enjoy her light-hearted quips makes it all worth it.
I am blessed to see my young adult and teen children serving the Lord and displaying God’s character in their lives. If I hadn’t walked so closely with them all these years, I know I wouldn’t appreciate the amazing way that God has crafted each of them so uniquely. It’s been exciting to see my passions and values in each of these very different people.
I really LOVE having the time to really get to know my daughter. She has grown into a wonderful caring teen who teaches me as much as I teach her on alot issues : )
Just getting to hang out with my 14-year old daughter is the biggest perk to homeschooling her. She is an amazing person, one whom I might not know as well if she were away from home all day long.
My oldest is also a ‘tween. I love the fact that he and his brothers have so much time to work and play together. They are much better friends than they could have been if not for homeschool. He has opportunities to help teach the younger ones. I’m looking forward to his good influence and example to continue with all of us.