Because laughter is the best balm for a soul…. Here are ten signs that you’re homeschooling a teenager!
You have an intimate relationship with YouTube.
Gone are the days of stepping on Legos and math manipulatives. These days, if you want to help your teen figure out how to solve a math problem, you have to YouTube how to do it and hope that it rings even the teensiest of bells from your own schooling so that you can help your teen…or just let them watch and explain it to you. Check out – Should You be YouTube Schooling?
Your children have turned into Hobbits.
They require second breakfast and Elevensies. They have their days and nights mixed up. Granted, some kids start this as early as birth, but it becomes a real issue when they’re teens. Maybe they’ll work second or third shift when they graduate. Or maybe their rhythms will even out. Time will tell. Got kids who love the Hobbit? Check out The Hobbit & Writing Fantasy Fiction.
The dreaded question has changed.
Remember how often you got asked about socialization when your kids were younger? Now you’re getting asked about things like dating, prom, and graduation. Won’t they miss out on it? Think back to your high school days…some folks loved those events, others tolerated them, and others skipped out. The homeschool community has evolved such that, if you want to participate in these events, you’ll be able to find them (unless you live in a superbly remote area). No one is missing out!
Arts and crafts are less cute and more functional.
Sure, you can’t put a dissected sheep eye on the refrigerator (and who would want to?), and it’s difficult to show off your kid’s vocational skills (which saved you quite a bit on that refrigerator repair), but just because you can’t pin these images doesn’t make them less worthy. These life skills, fostered in their teen years, can really pay off in the long run when they help you out in the future. Check out Career-Based Electives for Teens.
Photos become much more unique.
Whether because they’re adding stickers and emojis to digital photos, or just because they can’t seem to pose without making a face, sticking out their tongue, or putting rabbit ears behind a sibling, you haven’t had a decent photo of your kid in a couple of years. Hold out for those holiday photos – Christmas and Mother’s Day are sacred, and you deserve a smiling photo on these. Stay strong!
The expensive Legos have been replaced by expensive musical instruments / car parts / insert hobby or sport equipment here.
Gone are the days of kvetching over spending a hundred dollars on a Lego set. Those are the good ol’ days. Sporting equipment, car parts, new technology, and musical instruments….these are the things that have replaced those simple building toys. Check out Should Your Teen Have a Job?
Read: Must-Have Supplies for Homeschooling Teens
Daily life and chores counts as an elective.
Home Economics, Homesteading (if you have a farm), Auto Mechanics, Shop…all of these are elective credits that you can give you child now that s/he is actively contributing to the household management and chores. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, meal planning, and shopping all count toward Home Economics. Check out A Self-Sufficient Life.
Field trips become a little bit scary.
It’s not so much because they’ve run off at the zoo…again…as it is because they actually drove you to the field trip. I believe that teaching teens to drive shaves a full year or more off of parents’ lives. Especially when they nearly miss their turn and take a 90-degree turn at 45 mph, going up on two wheels. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.
The house is suddenly very quiet.
It’s not like when they were toddlers, however, and you knew the silence meant that trouble was just around the corner. Which is not to say that there isn’t trouble around the corner, but it’s most likely happening outside of your home where you won’t know until later. But then the house is loud at night when everyone is together for dinner again. Think of this as a transition period for when you become an empty nester.
You become sentimental.
Suddenly you understand what people meant when they were babies and you were told, ‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ We only get eighteen summers, and then they spread their wings and fly. Savor these four years of high school. Transition your relationship from parent-child to more of a mentorship, and know that there may be bumps along the path to independence, but you’re supporting them, love them, and will miss them dearly once they graduate. (Even if they don’t realize it.)
