How to Prepare Homeschoolers for the Real World

These days, it can feel overwhelming to raise children in a world that feels dark and evil. With the Epstein files chaos and the media push to warp our children’s minds, parents can easily succumb to the noise and despair around them. What can we do to raise children who are strong and resilient? How can we raise children who can enter adulthood with grit and determination? How can we raise children who become great spouses and parents?

Let’s explore a few ways to develop strong homeschoolers who can defend themselves against the world. 

• Choose joy. 
• Focus on emotional regulation.
• Demonstrate your family’s values.
• Communicate with honesty, clarity, kindness, and dignity.
• Exercise to develop physical and mental strength.

Lead and Demonstrate

Before we begin, it’s important to emphasize one thing: As the parent, you need to be the example. Try your best to lead your family. It’s okay if you make mistakes and miss the mark. We all do, and that’s part of the human experience.

Choose joy and talk about living with joy. Now, I struggle with a negative attitude, so I want to present transparency. I am working on it as well. To choose joy, reframe your negative statements (verbal or mental) and encourage your children to do the same. If you are a Christian, you can also focus on Heaven, and that perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. (See Romans 5:3-4). 

Focus on emotional regulation. When you need a minute, take a deep breath or go outside to reset. Also, write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. As a parent, you set the tone for emotional regulation. This will lead your children to follow your path. 

Demonstrate your family’s values. If you uphold good values, your children will typically employ these traits. For instance, if your family values bravery or kindness, think about the ways that you can implement these traits into your lifestyle. 

Furthermore, learn to communicate well. I recommend reading Unwrapping the Gift of Communication by Kevin T. Jones. This book revitalized my view of communication. Please teach your children to communicate with honesty, clarity, kindness, and dignity. As a Communications alumna, I often witness people who are mean communicators. I also encounter people who do not communicate with clarity and never truly say what they mean. This can cause internal conflict or hurt feelings in communication. 

Please teach your children (from a very young age) how to communicate well. To improve communication, listen to podcasts or audiobooks, and read books on the subject. 

Exercise with your children. This develops both physical and mental determination. This will also show your children that taking care of their health is important. By pushing through weariness or sticking to health goals, this will create natural physical and mental grit. This prepares them to enter the world with hardiness. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, these strategies will help you raise battle-ready, prepared homeschoolers. They can use these practices to enter the world and stand firm against the darkness. As you lead, you can show them that they can find joy and brawn amid the hardships of life. Together, you can conquer life as a pack. 
 

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- NxtEra

Written by Bethany (@thebookwormgirl_bethany)