Gradually Preparing Our Children for Adulthood
Take a moment to think about all you do in a day. Are you weary? Homeschool moms are some of the busiest people I know! Homeschool dads are equally busy, often working hard to earn an income that supports homeschooling. Or, sometimes those roles are reversed. Either way, whoever is doing the working outside the home and whoever is doing the working homeschooling in the home, forty hours a week is probably a light ‘work week’. I am thankful for many things in Heart of Dakota (HOD)! But, one of the less spoken of things I am grateful for is the way HOD guides gradually increase in workload, in time spent working each day, and in responsibility for managing time well. As my sons have grown up through the years, the HOD guides have grown up too. Gradually, HOD prepares our children for adulthood, and I am so thankful!
Small Incremental Steps to Prepare for Adulthood Equal Success
Every year of using HOD, our sons have learned to work harder, to think more deeply, to work longer, and to take more responsibility managing their time. When I look at all my husband does in a day, a week, a month, a year – it is staggering. The same is true when I look at all I do. It takes all of both of us to make life happen. Little Hands to Heaven, HOD’s PreK program, begins with the parent doing all of the teaching. Time is kept to a minimum at just 30 minutes a day. This is just right for little ones! As kiddos move up through HOD’s guides, this time gradually increases. Workload does as well.
By the time children begin Preparing Hearts for His Glory, they have gradually worked up to about 3 1/2 hours a day. Children follow the directions in their “I” boxes to work independently. They let the teacher take the lead in the “T” boxes. They share the work in the “S” boxes. As kiddos continue to move up through HOD’s guides, this time gradually increases. Workload and independence does as well. By the time children begin Missions to Modern Marvels, they have gradually worked up to about 5 hours a day. By the time students finish their last high school guide, USII, they have gradually worked up to about 7 hours a day. They have also become proficient at managing their workload, working independently, and breaking down larger assignments/projects into steps to be completed.
Prepared for Adulthood
Our sons are now 21, 18, and 14 years old. The last year of HOD’s high school helped my oldest two sons learn to work 28 hours a week. Their paid jobs they have, household chores, outdoor chores, and church responsibilities took their work to ‘full time’ gradually over the years. They are prepared for the workload of adulthood. It is not taking them by surprise! I don’t hear whining or complaining, or dissatisfaction about this workload. They came to it gradually, and they love the good feeling of working hard to get important things done. It brings them joy, as a job well done should.
Not Being Prepared for Adulthood
Sadly, not all children are gradually preparing for adulthood. They aren’t really ‘working’ much in their day – at ‘school’ or anywhere else. Instead, they are either being entertained or entertaining. Or, maybe they just aren’t doing much of anything at all. They might just be biding their time, frittering it away with no real sense of purpose.
Adulthood will be hard for these children. Full-time work at a job or in the home will be overwhelming. Having children and keeping a house in order will be difficult. No one cheers and claps for us as adults as we do these things. We do them because we’ve learned to work hard, to love our work, and to view it as important work the Lord would have us do cheerfully.
Adulthood is coming for all our children!
We are not doing children any favors by lessening their workload, by expecting less of them, or by doing all the work they should be doing ourselves. How will our children be prepared for adulthood if they never ‘work’ up to it? Just think, it won’t be many years until our children are adults – like us. If they don’t gradually work up to that, how will they ever do what we have to do in a day, a week, a month? Seeing my sons be prepared for adulthood has been one of my greatest joys. I praise God for that first! But second, I thank HOD. The work we did together all these years has been – and is – 100% worth it!
In Christ,
Julie
