| If you are a homeschool family, then you have | | | | practical your homeschool education can be, while |
| probably invested a great deal of time and energy | | | | striving for excellence in the academic arena, the |
| into your children. You have given much thought | | | | more abundant your child's training and preparation |
| to the idea of their education and the curricula | | | | will be. |
| that you plan to use to further their intellectual | | | | The idea that teenagers would not be contributing |
| growth. What have you done however, to | | | | to the social life of the family was not around until |
| prepare them for their social growth? Now, to | | | | the 20th century. Up until that time, and well into |
| many homeschooling families that question will | | | | it, children of all ages were expected to contribute |
| seem out of place, but hear me out. I don't mean | | | | to the well-being and functionality of the home. |
| social growth in the sense of friends and parties | | | | They gained valuable skills in independence, |
| to attend, but social in the sense of community | | | | purpose, social awareness, and cooperative effort |
| awareness, adult interaction with others, and | | | | through this practice. Somewhere in the late |
| preparation to exist independently once they | | | | 1900's, however, this practice began to disappear |
| leave your homeschool program. | | | | and as a result, we have left teenagers far too |
| Homeschool families need to incorporate a | | | | unprepared to function as adults because we |
| valuable tool into their educational curricula beyond | | | | have extended their childhood for too long. They |
| the books and core subjects. Homeschoolers | | | | leave home unprepared for college or careers and |
| have the unique opportunity to ask the question, | | | | end up in a financial or personal mess, or both. |
| "What would my child need to be able to do if | | | | If you desire to raise an independent, thriving, |
| something happened to me?" Asking that question | | | | purposeful, and socially responsible adult, then you |
| will allow you to identify some of the additional | | | | will need to begin to involve them in skills that lead |
| areas in which you can be training and preparing | | | | to this from an early age. They will not learn |
| your children while still at home. | | | | these skills through osmosis. Imagine what they |
| Depending upon the age of your children, various | | | | will need to be able to do, manage, or handle on |
| skills can be incorporated into a homeschool | | | | their own without you, and then let them |
| program from an early age. These would include | | | | "practice" that while you are still there to be their |
| basic chores such as dishwashing, laundry, and | | | | safety net. |
| bathroom clean up. As your child grows, | | | | Independence and social responsibility are not |
| homeschooling families can actually allow their | | | | ingrained into our children's character. These skills |
| children to be more involved in such things as | | | | must be taught. Take advantage of the time and |
| preparing food, planning meals, managing a | | | | intentional learning opportunities afforded you as |
| checking account and budget to include savings | | | | homeschoolers and see how their academic and |
| and long-term planning, and perhaps even | | | | social skills will thrive. |
| participating in a family business. The more | | | | |