I started off talking about my day to day homeschooling activities in Part 1 which comprised recycling, decluttering, focusing, storage. Here in Part 2, I will now talk about what homeschooling is to me long-term.
5. Intentional Parenting. When I first heard the words "intentional parenting", it immediately made sense, in spite of not knowing the exact definition. I heard about it when I attended a homeschooling orientation program. The speaker hadn't yet defined what it was but already, I knew I wanted to be an intentional parent. What does it mean? I was given a handbook that briefly describes what it is when I enrolled my kids for homeschooling program the second time around. Intentional parenting is parenting with a purpose. It is when you look beyond today and consider how your decisions will affect your children's tomorrow.
6. De-stressing. Relax. Chill out you are on your own time, what's the rush? Relax and enjoy your life, family and friends. Resist the need to fit the cookie cutter mold.
7. Character Building. No matter how smart or academically inclined someone is, a person's strength of character will always trump high IQ. Heck there is even a movement to make IQ tests obsolete. Tests are still useful in some ways but a favorable character will always be a winner.
5. Intentional Parenting. When I first heard the words "intentional parenting", it immediately made sense, in spite of not knowing the exact definition. I heard about it when I attended a homeschooling orientation program. The speaker hadn't yet defined what it was but already, I knew I wanted to be an intentional parent. What does it mean? I was given a handbook that briefly describes what it is when I enrolled my kids for homeschooling program the second time around. Intentional parenting is parenting with a purpose. It is when you look beyond today and consider how your decisions will affect your children's tomorrow.
6. De-stressing. Relax. Chill out you are on your own time, what's the rush? Relax and enjoy your life, family and friends. Resist the need to fit the cookie cutter mold.
7. Character Building. No matter how smart or academically inclined someone is, a person's strength of character will always trump high IQ. Heck there is even a movement to make IQ tests obsolete. Tests are still useful in some ways but a favorable character will always be a winner.
The handyman with our two boys 8. Integrating. Ok, so we read books, we learn new words, new skills, now what? We apply what we learn, in real life. That's what integrating is all about.
When the handyman and I attend financial lectures or seminars and enjoy what we have learned, we would sign up a second time so our two big boys could listen in. The next day my kids will write and reflect on what they have learned at the seminar and why I took them there in the first place. That way they will understand why we have to bear with living below our means for now (magtiis muna tayo). It's putting words in context, I believe this is imparting to my kids the essence of financial literacy.
When the handyman and I attend financial lectures or seminars and enjoy what we have learned, we would sign up a second time so our two big boys could listen in. The next day my kids will write and reflect on what they have learned at the seminar and why I took them there in the first place. That way they will understand why we have to bear with living below our means for now (magtiis muna tayo). It's putting words in context, I believe this is imparting to my kids the essence of financial literacy.
"Integrated" is my favorite word when we are collating our portfolio for submission. We don't create a project for each subject just for the sake of creating a project. Example: Science, Math and Technical Livelihood Education can be integrated into one project when I had my 12-year-old son man our food cart for three days (with supervision). He wrote a 2 page reflection on it in English. (He realized the hardships of working so he didn't want to be a foodcart crew when he grows up) Homeschool life is really very much about practical application of what you have learned.
9. Following your heart, following your dreams. I knew I was serious about homeschooling my kids when I finally had the courage to resign from my corporate job. My goals and dreams became clear: I wanted a life of being able to do what I want for my family and my children, not bound by someone else's rules. It was not an overnight transformation. It took more than 10 years of working as an employee to finally understand what I really wanted in life. I am not an employee but I still have to work, I am still bound by someone else's rules, and there will and should always be a high level of accountability when it comes to personal finances in my opinion, but my goal is to retire young and retire rich. Yes, it's actually a book by R. Kiyosaki in case you are wondering.
When I listen to my children talk about their ambitions at such a young age, my own memories as a child would come back. Eventhough I had different ambitions, I know I used to sound like them. Children develop their passion for something at a young age, but it dwindles as they grow up due to many influencing factors, including sending kids to conventional schools. With homeschooling, I can capture their passion at work and harness it. Once I know their passion, their dreams also become mine. What parent would not want their children to fulfill their dreams? Homeschooling maximizes the opportunity for a parent to be an influential figure to their child instead of outside influences.To me that sounds just about right.
10. Wealth-building. Homeschooling allows me to build wealth by passing on what I know and what I have to my children. It's not how much you have, it's how much you keep through out the generations (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki). We've all heard of families who were once rich and lost their wealth when their children took over. We've all said "such a waste" or "sayang". My parents were middle class, they gave me a good foundation to start with: I was able to go to a private school and finish a bachelor's degree in a university. My parents also helped me acquire a house so I didn't have to worry about a mortgage. They gave me fish. I will be forever thankful for that. But I had to teach myself how to fish to keep the lifestyle that I was given. I see homeschooling as teaching my kids how to fish, so that when they enter adulthood not only will they know how to keep what they have, but they will know how to keep building, expanding and adding to what they already have.
Are you also on a mission to leave a legacy of wealth to your family? What practices do you have in place to achieve this? Do share, and remember to subscribe to Taumbahay.com
When I listen to my children talk about their ambitions at such a young age, my own memories as a child would come back. Eventhough I had different ambitions, I know I used to sound like them. Children develop their passion for something at a young age, but it dwindles as they grow up due to many influencing factors, including sending kids to conventional schools. With homeschooling, I can capture their passion at work and harness it. Once I know their passion, their dreams also become mine. What parent would not want their children to fulfill their dreams? Homeschooling maximizes the opportunity for a parent to be an influential figure to their child instead of outside influences.To me that sounds just about right.
10. Wealth-building. Homeschooling allows me to build wealth by passing on what I know and what I have to my children. It's not how much you have, it's how much you keep through out the generations (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki). We've all heard of families who were once rich and lost their wealth when their children took over. We've all said "such a waste" or "sayang". My parents were middle class, they gave me a good foundation to start with: I was able to go to a private school and finish a bachelor's degree in a university. My parents also helped me acquire a house so I didn't have to worry about a mortgage. They gave me fish. I will be forever thankful for that. But I had to teach myself how to fish to keep the lifestyle that I was given. I see homeschooling as teaching my kids how to fish, so that when they enter adulthood not only will they know how to keep what they have, but they will know how to keep building, expanding and adding to what they already have.
Are you also on a mission to leave a legacy of wealth to your family? What practices do you have in place to achieve this? Do share, and remember to subscribe to Taumbahay.com
