Feb. 1, 2008 - How do you encourage your children to be self motivated?
This came up in a discussion yesterday, too.
I'm thinking pre / young adults (also known as pre teens and teens - smile - it is so funny sometimes to make this distinction, but I have been on lists where moms get bent out of shape when the word "teen" comes up. They will not use it at all. They are raising young adults. Period. Then you go to another situation - perhaps church or family gathering and they just use the word teen, because they have never thought about any other way. So I often will use both when I write. smile) Home Schooling.
This has come up time or two with friends lately, too.
Anyway, we have Home Schooled for 15 or so years. I was trying to think of my expectations yesterday regarding this topic and what ages I expect my children to be self motivated...
I certainly don't mean it for little ones or even elementary, although it could start there.
But when I have a teen / young adult of 13, I would expect them to take some responsibility for their own education.
You know, it grows through the years - I wouldn't expect the same of a 13 yr old, that I would expect of a 17 yr old, BUT as I told a friend yesterday, I don't feel it is my job as a HSing mom to *push* my older children to learn or even do their Home Schooling.
Yes, I moniter and am involved in discussion about what needs to be done/ corrections, but the older they get, the more I expect them to be motivated and take responsibility for their education / learning.
Anyway, I don't know how that happened, really. Perhaps it is an offshoot of my educational / parenting philosophy....
I just know about 2 or 3 months ago, I heard some HSed teens (not young adults) disrespect their HSing and mom. I've thought about it a bit every since.
I don't even think I will share more than that, other than they said they hadn't learned anything because their mother wasn't prepared and was busy doing other things that week. I think my mouth dropped open and I was speechless because at their age (13 to 15), it shouldn't be up to their mother to HS them. I get busy at times, too, but I have a plan - but *even* if I didn't, there are so many educational pursuits for our older children AND I think they should be able to learn so much *each day*. Period. I don't have to be sitting there saying do this, do that now.
(Please note this mom is struggling a bit with parenting teens right now and there are bad attitudes in her teens. It's just part of the journey along the way. Oh, and I did say something to the kids present and I prayed with them, too. Sometimes our kids do get bad attitudes and need a tune up. Sometimes they take Home Schooling and us, as Home School moms / parents for granted. I periodically - perhaps once every couple of years or as needed - remind our children of the priviledge it is to Home School and how they shouldn't take it for granted. That's another post, I think. )
Anyway, there's a little bit of "being real" today -
Have you ever thought about this?
How do you encourage your older children to be motivated?
Comments
Feb. 1, 2008 - Appriciated your post
Posted by LivingandLoving
