Raising Real Men
Homeschooling a houseful of all different ages is one of the hardest and most wonderful things we’ve ever done.
The best part is to see the sweet relationships that grow between the older children and the younger ones. I remember one of ourlittle girls pouting over her big brother going to college, “I’m going to go to college with you!” When he responded, “Sweetheart, you’re not old enough to go to college,” she answered, “I’m getting bigger every day!” So sweet!
There’s a lot of tough stuff, too, though. Here are a few tips to help:
Get the support you need:
Spend time in the Word and in prayer every day. It’s what we need the most.
Take a nap. Yes, seriously. Some days it’s a lifesaver.
Get all hands on deck. You need help doing the chores and your children can do amazing things if you train them to.
Join a support group that will be there when you need them.
Different ages need different things. Homeschooling’s great for that.
Babies need warm arms, mama milk, and not much else. Get in a comfy chair like a recliner and keep right on going educating the others. The baby won’t mind. 🙂
First attention is the shortest. Toddlers have very short attention spans for anything but whining. If instead you tell the older children to keep working and spend a few minutes focusing on your toddler, they’ll be off to play in a moment. They just need to check in.
Recognize that young scholars need a lot of supervision. Try putting a child’s table next to your chair so you can take care of the baby and watch over the older children’s schoolwork, too.
Aim towards more independent work as your children get older. You’ll be doing them a great favor as they head off into adulthood if they learn to manage their own work.
Understand that sometimes the very oldest need lots of attention, too. The last year or two of high school is wonderful, but also pretty stressful as they figure where God is directing them in life.
We’re at the downhill side of this great adventure. We’ve graduated three of our eight and our school is shrinking now, not growing any more. As we look back, we are unbelievably grateful that the Lord has given us the pleasure of raising this tribe. It’s been so much fun! Don’t get bogged down in the everyday stuff, enjoy those treasures while they’re in your home.
Your friends,
Hal & Melanie Young
For more on this, download our workshop, Homeschooling a Houseful, here.
Are you seeing changes in your son? Wondering why he’s so distracted or angry? April 10 is the start of our next session of Boot Camp 9-12: Getting Geared Up for the Teen Years, our wildly popular LIVE webinar series exclusively for parents of boys nine to twelve years old. Find out more here.
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