Here’s what my teen did to prepare for independence. (Part 1 in the series)
What My Teen Did to Prepare for Independence
Yesterday we looked at the first 3 things we did to prepare my son for independence. Today we will look at the next 3 areas we covered to get him ready for life on his own.
4) Financial Literacy
Goal to prepare for independence: To be able to manage his money wisely, to make solid financial decisions, and to plan well for the future
Sara Hayes’ course has been popular for years in the homeschool community. My son was a beta tester for the official text (now released as Financial Literacy from a Christian Perspective). He learned TONS in this interactive course. He was also blessed when his older sister and brother-in-law gave him tutoring on budgeting, savings, and plans for the future. There is nothing like the balance of text and tutoring!
5) Career Exploration
Goal to prepare for independence: To know himself and to know God, the rest would follow
Because I do lots of career counseling in my work as a therapist, I really felt strongly about this! We did ALL kinds of career exploration- sometimes we invited other homeschoolers to join us, lots he did on his own. (This is now the 7Sisters Career Exploration textbook.)
6) Creativity and Fun
Goal to prepare for independence: To be able to think creatively in any situation, and to have fun with LOTS of things
This is also a HUGE one for me. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said about imagination (creativity):
For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition.
In other words: Creativity is REALLY important!
We did LOTS of reading and writing of poetry, reading lots of great literature and silly literature. One of his favorite writing projects was writing his own myth/fantasy short story in the style of Lewis and Tolkien.
My son is now in college. His creativity has paid off with well-received papers. He is making new friends and developing good relationships with his teachers. He is finding his way in the faith. He is caring for himself well… and you should see how well he manages his budget. I believe was was well prepared for independence.
7Sisters has now combined the core of what my son did (Apologetics, Financial Literacy, Career Exploration) into the Preparing for Independence Bundle.
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