In ensuring your child or teen receives the best education possible, you may have doubts whether the public school system is the optimum learning environment for them. After all, you want them to pick up and learn the essentials that will make them successful later in life. But are the three R's enough?
Like all parents, you may be thinking about whether your kids would be better served in a charter school or perhaps in a home-school setting. Because for many parents, and potentially yourself included, homeschooling offers numerous benefits beyond what's typically taught in the classroom, including the following areas:
- Teaching by word and not in action
- Trying to bite off too much
- Being overly protective
- Not letting your children fail
- Relying too heavily on the public school system
Knowing where to start and what resources you'll need to home school your child or teen could be difficult. But the best way is to educate yourself and have all your questions answered before diving in head first. Beyond the three R's, consider educating your child on one or two of the following areas. Doing so will better prepare your children to face the world head on.
How to Manage Their Money
Did you know the average American household is in debt to the tune of more than $130,000? According to data posted on NerdWallet.com, about $15,000 of that is credit-card debt. That’s just crazy. To prevent your child from growing up and adding to that figure, plan on teaching them about the importance of paying off their credit-card balance each month. When appropriate, involve your kids in the family budget. For example, when going grocery or clothes shopping, help your kids understand opportunity cost. If they wan to buy that expensive pair of shoes, remind them they won’t have much money left to buy other big-ticket items.
Other tips: Instead of an allowance, give your kids a commission based on household chores they perform. According to financial guru Dave Ramsey, doing so teaches them money is something to be earned. When it comes to storing away their money, have your kids use a clear jar in place of a piggy bank. This way, they can watch their money grow, or lessen, depending on what they put in or take out of their stash.
How to Drive (Not Like a Maniac)
Hopefully you aren’t someone who texts while driving, especially with your kids in the car. But are you lackadaisical about other bad-driving habits? When was the last time you put your makeup on in the car or sped through a yellow light instead of slowing down? Do you tend to set your cruise control 5 mph to 10 mph over the speed limit? Have a little road rage? Switch lanes in a no-passing zone, because "who cares" and you’re not sure about the rules, anyway? According to a nationwide survey conducted by driving-tests.org, 22 percent of surveyed teens responded that they “learned everything [about driving] from how their parents drive.”
It doesn’t matter how much you teach your kids or how much studying they do for their DMV test. If they turn around and watch you break all the rules, chances are they're more likely to emulate this type of misbehavior on the open road. So, what can you do to stop this from happening? First, take a look at your driving habits and see where you can improve. Don’t be afraid to own some of your mistakes. Then, consider sitting down with your teen and using a DMV permit practice test to brush up on your driving knowledge. Doing so can show your teen how important safe driving is to you and will, in turn, help shape responsible driving behaviors and attitudes in them.
How to Face Rejection Like a Champion
In varying degrees, failure, rejection and disappointment are part of everyday life. You can’t always get what you want and sometimes even doing your best won’t win you the grand prize. So take a hard look at yourself in these proverbial departments. How are your kids holding up? It’s OK if the first few instances that come to mind aren’t pretty. Handling hard times with grace takes time and unfortunately lots of experience. Here are a few practical lessons to teach your kids in your home classroom:
- Encourage them to try out for a sports team or school play
- Encourage them to ask their peers over for playdates or to church activities
- Encourage them to apply for jobs and take as many interviews as they can
Unfortunately, they won't make every team or land every job, but the lessons they learn during these processes will be invaluable. When things don’t go as planned, allow your kids to feel the sting or sadness that comes with disappointment, but then encourage them to move forward focusing on the good.
