There are many things you can do as a parent to prepare your teen for “The Real World”. Now, this takes patience, especially since kids think they have all the answers. Try to focus on ensuring your child can apply basic life skills, time and financial management, problem solving, and self care. 

Here are some helpful tips:

• Basic Life Skills: Driving, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, using basic tools, and looking for a job.
• Time Management: Prioritizing tasks, studying, completing assignments on time, and using a planner.
• Financial Management: Managing a checking account/debit card, building savings/emergency fund, and budgeting.
• Problem Solving: Identifying the problem, using critical thinking skills, and developing solutions.
• Self-Care: Take breaks when stressed, disconnect from social media, take care of your physical health, and choose your friend groups wisely.

If your child will remain at home while attending college, you’ll have more time to focus on development. However, those who are getting your child ready to leave the nest will have limited time to prep before dropping them off on campus. I highly recommend starting to purchase the dorm essentials early as the costs can add up quickly. Below is a basic list of things your child could need for the dormitory.

Dorm Essentials:

• Personal/Health Items: Toiletries, towels, pillows and blankets, shower tote, shower shoes, and medications/prescriptions.
• Laundry Supplies: Detergent, fabric softener, laundry basket, and hangers.
• Room Essentials: Food storage containers, bedding, plates, utensils, alarm clock, and wall hooks. 
• Supplies: Calendar, laptop, pens/pencils, highlighters, paper, backpack, folders, and binders.
• Appliances: Coffee maker, small fan/heater, TV, and lamp.

It’s crazy how fast eighteen years seem to fly by, but early preparation will ease some stress for you as a parent and your future student. Be sure to maximize your savings by stocking up on essentials at your local Exchange and Commissary. Enjoy your time together before they head off to college and make as many great memories as you can.

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Reality – FALSE! I am walking proof of this one folks! It frustrates me because the myth is the complete opposite. I was home schooled from mid-6th grade through 12th grade. After that, I attended college, then decided to obtain my masters (and finished a 2.5 year degree in THREE semesters). Since I have finished college, I have not given up the dream of obtaining my doctorate, but first, I need to pay down some student loans. One day, it will happen!

But let’s tackle jobs. I have a few. I teach college courses online, and have done so for the past six years. I enlisted into the Army Reserves, am currently in process of pursuing my dream of becoming an officer, and of course, you can catch me here on the blog! I can work through books helping editors find the mistakes that they might have missed the first go around (this is a great perk of being a book nerd by the way). I get FREE books out of it! Pretty awesome! I also just read and review books online for them. I now home school my children, and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them!

Home schooling can be daunting. I will not lie to you. There are days that you wonder how much of it is really going to be worth it. Not every child is cut out for college, and that is OKAY! Some work better with their hands. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Whether you decide that you want to make a career out of the military, do something that will take the world by storm, or just be YOU, it will all fall into place. I talk to my children now about what they might want to do when they get older. This will change 10-15 times before they finally get to the point of where they end up, however, talking to them now and pointing out the importance of certain subjects helps. I have one who wants to “fly those whirly birds” but he hates to read. He is also 7. As we were sitting there one afternoon struggling through a passage he needed to work out, I just simply let him know that if he could not read, he could not fly a helicopter.  At the end of a long day, its the little victories that bring it all home. That one word that they struggled over but can now decipher, or that math problem that had them in tears, but they got right once they calmed down and worked it out.. those are the little awesome bits that can make you smile as you tell them “YOU CAN DO THIS! I BELIEVE IN YOU!”

Not every child who is home schooled is a child prodigy,and guess what.. IT’S OKAY! We all have things we struggle with. Unfortunately, not all of us are cut out like the geniuses from television. Working through issues and finding the switch that flips that light bulb on can be a search, but once its flipped.. watch out world! They just might surprise you…..