Why Public School Is Draining So Many Kids

In this episode of HOMESCHOOL REVOLUTION, I talk about one of the biggest mindset shifts homeschool parents can make: realizing that traditional high school paths are not the only route to success. From accreditation myths to college admissions, entrepreneurship, trades, and early college options, I break down how homeschool families can think outside the box and help teens pursue education in a way that actually fits who they are.

I share why accredited curriculum is often unnecessary, how many homeschool teens can begin college or trade programs earlier than expected, and why confidence, maturity, and direction matter far more than checking off traditional school boxes. We also talk about helping teens discover their gifts, passions, and future goals instead of simply surviving the system.

In this episode, I also discuss:

• Why many universities do not require accredited homeschool curriculum
• Early college opportunities for homeschool teens
• Helping entrepreneurial teens create income and purpose early
• Trade school vs. traditional college paths
• Why return on investment matters when choosing higher education
• Raising confident, self-directed young adults
• The emotional and mental toll of public school environments
• Why many struggling teens need healing before academics
• ADHD, dyslexia, burnout, and public school trauma
• The importance of sleep, nutrition, emotional safety, and freedom
• How homeschooling strengthens family relationships long-term
• Why homeschool graduates often become deeply confident and independent adults

I also answer live questions from moms about graduation ceremonies, diplomas, transcripts, public school burnout, de-schooling teenagers, IEPs, New York homeschool laws, and helping struggling teens rediscover confidence and motivation.

This episode is a powerful reminder that homeschooling is not about recreating school at home. It’s about helping children heal, grow, discover who they are, and build a future based on their strengths, passions, and God-given potential.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Homeschool Revolution. I'm Rebecca Stromsdorfer, homeschool mommified for over 20 years, and I've been coaching moms just like you for decades. I've done this messy, done it wrong, and figured it out as I went. This podcast is for the working mom, single mom, stay-at-home mom, and yes, dads too. Any parent who is done with the old way and ready to raise creative, confident kids who actually changed the world. This isn't just homeschooling. This is a revolution. Let's get into it. Welcome to my homeschool Village, Rebecca here, homeschool mom, two five children for 20 years, and a homeschool coach for over a decade now and happy to help you in your homeschooling journey. Now, I know it's mid May and nobody wants to homeschool. We don't either. We are finishing up our classes and then we're gonna be taking a month or two off while we do some vacations and hang out and do some fun things like everybody else is doing. But in the meantime, right now they're in voice, piano, banjo, and drum lessons. And so we've got to get those done. And today we were talking about high school options, like accredited versus not accredited. And do we really need an accredited curriculum? Do uh colleges here in the US require an accredited curriculum, all that kind of stuff. So I'm gonna do some summarizing here so that those of you who are wondering how high school and college works as a homeschooler, um, I can help you with that. So, number one, do you need an accredited curriculum? No. Guys, let me explain to you what accredited means. Accredited means they paid a crap load of money to put the name accredited stamp on their curriculum. That's it. So universities don't care. They do not care. I have called around. Go ahead and just like test me on this. Go call a university and say we are homeschooling and we would like to come to your university when our kids are done. Do we need an accredited curriculum? They don't care. I have yet to find a university who actually cares whether or not your curriculum is accredited. It's a rumor, you don't need it. It's a crap load of money to put into your um high schooler that you don't need. Number one. Number two, school is actually irrelevant. So here's how it works. If your children are homeschooled and generally more mature, so a child who's homeschooled tends to be less mature in the first eight to 12 years, and then all of a sudden they mature more and faster. And by 15, 16, they're kind of ready to start looking forward to where they want to be. They know who they are, they know what they want because they've had time to figure that out. So there are some who make them go through four years of high school. I find that to be an absolute waste of time. None of my children have done it, none of them have wanted to do it. Hi, Katie. Come on in, ask your questions as I'm going here. We're talking about homeschooling and high school. Um, what has happened is the colleges have dumbed down college so that more of the college students would do better. And because the general population of that age is not as smart as they used to be, colleges have had to lower the bar. So what's happening is children who are intelligent, hardworking, willing to learn something actually don't have to work that hard. So they can actually start college, hi May, can start college at 15 or 16 online. Now, I do not recommend you put your child on a college campus at the age of 15 or 16 with a bunch of 20-year-olds. No. You start online at 15 or 16. Now, this is only if they're college bound, okay? This is not all kids. If your child is college bound, you put them in college at 15 to 16 online, skip high school, go straight from whatever your junior highing, um, and then go straight to the universities at 15 to 16 years old or a trade, okay? Trades will also start taking kids at 15 and they can immediately start where they want to go. There are programs out there where your child, your homeschooled kid, can get a bachelor's before they're even 18. Did you know that? And if you're looking for those, you might want to make sure you're following me because I do share that information. Um, if they're college bound, you want them to be starting college at 15 to 16. Quit wasting your time on an accredited high school curriculum. Diplomas aren't necessary, GEDs are not necessary. And if you don't believe me, go call the university. Say, I'm a homeschool kid. What do I need to get in? You might need an SAT and A C T. Now, my homeschool village does have a program that prepares your child for those tests that are really, really good. Like if you want them to really score well on those, yes, you still have to take those as a homeschooler, but you don't need four years of high school. They love a homeschooler who's ready to go to college early because it means they're serious and they're gonna stick around. So you don't need an accredited curriculum. Number one, you don't need four years of high school to get into college. You don't. You can completely skip that and they can get right in or a trade school. Okay. Now, I'm not saying speed up their lives. They can start college at 15 to 16 and still be a 15 and 16-year-old socially. So if they're looking for social, you join my homeschool village, they can come take our life classes and be hanging out with the other kids and still preparing for SATs if that's what they want to do. But if they're college or trade-bound, start at 15 or 16. You don't need a high school curriculum. Now, I have one. If that's the road you want to take, I have one. Now, if your child is entrepreneurial based, there's no reason for them not to start as soon as they're willing to start doing some research. Now, I do have some entrepreneurial programs I do recommend that your children can go after, that they can learn from, that they can learn how to be an online entrepreneur. I have some of those. I also have resources if your kids are interested in AI and they want to be learning AI and what programs are good for them to be in and what programs are so great in AI for them to be in. And that's all stuff that we share inside my homeschool village. Hi, Tamara. Hi, Eleanor, Kelly, welcome. Tamra, welcome. Um, ask your questions. You guys, as you're coming in, go ahead and ask your questions. It's Rebecca here, homeschool mom to five kids, for over 20 years, and coach as well, to homeschoolers for a decade or more. So, high school options. So I gotta tell you, this is how I know all this. Okay. I have a brother-in-law who is a university. He teaches in both high school level and universities. Now he used to be anti-homeschooled. He's not anymore. After COVID, he was like, no, no, no, no, something's gone wrong. Something at COVID changed everything. He's like, something's gone wrong. And now um he came home one day. Hi, Tamara, hi, Tamara. He came home one day angry because they had just had a meeting at the university that basically told them that they were officially dumbing down the curriculum so they could get more kids to have more A's. And he was like furious. He's like, college is not even worth it anymore. And he's like, it's just become a joke. But if your kids want to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer, judge, right? Like there are things that they have to have a degree for. And if they're going for big stuff, I'm all for college. If you're gonna go where you got a nice return on investment, if your kid's gonna spend 50 or 100 or 200 grand on an education and make a hundred grand or more when they get out, by all means go college education. But I personally don't believe that if you're gonna make less than six figures, college is worth the investment. The return on investment is not good. Um, their trades pay better, especially if they go and get a bachelor's degree, maybe even on top of their trade, so they can get into management and running the companies. Trades pay a lot better. College degrees in our home are encouraged if you're going after something that's gonna bring in more than six figures a year. Otherwise, it's not worth the investment. Now, we also encourage entrepreneurship in our home, and so our kids are learning how to take their passions and turn it into a moneymaker. There are classes everywhere on how to do that nowadays. Your kids can be learning that at a very young age as soon as they're ready. So if that's the path you're looking at, make sure you're following me because I share those two, or you can ask in here and I can answer those questions. So ask your questions, high school questions, getting into college questions. I've had two children. Well, I've had one actually apply and get into college. And I had one that went to a trade school where she's a massage therapist. And I have um, sorry, that's kind of loud. I have one who is now currently serving as a missionary in Argentina and when he comes home would like to go into entrepreneurship. I have another child who's working on her own personal goals and has some dreams that we're learning how to pursue. And then the youngest is saying, maybe I want medical school. Now, if he does want medical school, I will be getting him into a program that gets him his bachelor's by 18. Why not? He will do it all from home. Um, and then when he's 18 and he's ready to go to the university, he will. He'll go get a master's while while those of his age are working on their associates and bachelor's, he'll be working on a master's degree. But he'll be doing it with his peers so that he's with other kids his age. Because I do think it's important once they hit about 18 to be getting them out in the world and you know, even earlier. Like my kids are out and about. Don't get me wrong, we're not secluded by any means. Um, although some days it might feel like it, but we're not. So, questions, questions about high school. Where are your kids? Are you worried about college, about getting them in? The world has taught us one way, one option. And in reality, there's a million, million ways. And you don't have to go through the system the way it's built. There's a ton of ways around the system. And that's really my specialty is showing homeschoolers how to get around the systems they think are the only way. And I show you different roads, routes, different ways that your kids can take that you can take to get an education, to make money, to become educated, to be financially free. Hi, Beth. All things that you can do for you and your family and moving forward. There's not a one-way, and there's not one size fits all. There's a million different ways to do this, and it's really about being innovative. It's about asking the right questions, it's about finding out what's really available out there. It's about asking the tough questions and finding out who really knows what they're talking about and who's just repetitive and saying what people have said but don't really know what they're talking about. May it's good to see you again, by the way. Carlene, thank you. I'm glad I'm helpful. What has been your favorite? Like, where are you with your kids right now? When you say wisdom, thank you. Um, what wisdom are you looking for personally? What is it that you need to know? I find that the hardest part about this homeschooling thing and all this new information is the fear of going outside the box because the box seems secure, right? Like get your kids all the way through high school, get your kids through college, follow the check marks because somebody planned it for us and we don't have to think too hard. And when you go and invent your children's futures with them, and I sit with them because I didn't do any of this alone. Like my second child was 16 when she came to me and said, Mom, I'm kind of done with all this high school stuff. Can I just go to college? And I was like, I don't know. Let's find out. And we did the research because that was the past she wanted. And so we followed it to see where it led, and that's how I found out what I know. Every single one of my children has said, Mom, I don't want to do what I'm seeing. Can I? And they've each come up with their own idea. And I'm like, I don't know. Let's find out. And we go and find out and we look and we research. And that's how I found out everything I know is because I didn't know. And one of my kids wanted something, and so we've figured it out. And really, that's the bottom line. The beauty of homeschooling is to be able to say, I don't know. Let's find a way. And just that tweak, instead of let's let somebody else decide for us, let's decide for ourselves and then do the research, has been so freeing. I had no idea. Um, May says we signed up last night. Yay! My girls are super excited. Such great information. Thank you so much. You are so welcome, and I'm so glad you joined us. So glad. Um, yeah, welcome. Carlene says, You're doubting yourself, believing I can do this. Your knowledge of your rights has taught me so much. Oh, Carlene, I'm so glad I can help you. Okay. Let's talk. Doubting yourself. Let me tell you right now, you're never gonna stop. Okay. If you wait until you stop doubting yourself, you'll never do this. You won't. You have to go forward with the doubt because it's the only way to get past it. Now, I'm past the doubt of whether or not this is the right thing. But I still have days when I doubt my abilities as a mother, and they will come and go depending on the phases of your children, and it's okay because every phase is new, and every phase you're like, I don't know how to do this phase. And you figure it out together, and that's the beauty of it. Uh, entering kindergarten, okay. This is perfect. If you never put them in the system, your life will be so much easier. So much easier. Okay. Let them play. And I was told this at the beginning, and I told other, and I was like, but my kids are brilliant. They needed to get started earlier. Hmm. Well, yeah, they're brilliant. But what play does is allows them their brilliance to grow. So I'm going forward now because you make us mama stronger. That melts my heart. Carlene, thank you for that. Thank you for that. That is my mission in life is to make mama stronger. Because in strengthening mom, the family is strengthened, and that's my joy. So thank you for that. You just made this whole life like worth all of it. Thank you. What help do you need? How can I help you be even stronger and take this on? Because the best thing I ever did for me was homeschool. I had no idea what it would do for me. I re-educated myself. I re-went through everything with my kids. I relearned and I gained a confidence. I never had school. I came out of public school thinking I was stupid. But I re-educated alongside my children. And then I came out going, wait a minute. I might have a brain. And then I created my homeschool village because I was like, more women need to know that they can do this. And so that's why I do what I do. You deserve it. Thank you. Oh, you're so, so welcome. Never stop posting. Don't plan to. I don't plan to. It's not easy, but I don't plan to. Katie says I learned so much from you about homeschooling that I didn't know before. It's been a few weeks watching you. Thank you. You're so welcome, Katie. I'm glad I can help. Hi, Jacques. Um, thank you. Thank you, ladies. What other help do you need? Like, this is your chance to get me one-on-one. What questions do you have? What fears? What's the one thing in homeschooling that just has you a little terrified? Or are you needing to convince a spouse? I had to do that. Um, what every mom, I don't care how long you've homeschooled, has that little fear, that little what if, that what if I can't? And that's when I come in and I can help with some of those answers because I see the end from the beginning. I'm at the end of homeschooling and I'm sad. I'm really getting sad. But I have five kids, three are on their own. Number four is gonna be on her own in the next year, and number five is like the easiest kid in the world because he was homeschooled by the older four. But I can see the benefits. I now get to see beauty. So just to share a little bit, this is for you moms, okay? For the moms who have the little kids at home, have you ever read the book Mars Needs Moms? If you haven't read it, you need to read it. You need to own it. You need to read it a thousand times. So Mars Needs Moms is one of my absolute favorite books because when I bought the book, or somebody gave it to me, I don't remember, it was like 12 years ago. And at the time I had a little boy who was going to be the death of me. And my goal in life, like I had two girls who were perfect and did everything right. And they were just the easiest things in the world to homeschool. And then came number three, and he was a boy, and he was rebellious, and he I could not keep him from breaking things. He did everything opposite his sisters. He was crazy, drove me crazy, drove them crazy, and was like bouncing off of walls. All of a sudden I realized homeschooling was not gonna be what I thought it was gonna be. And he was a tough kid and he knew how to push my buttons and he loved pushing my buttons, and we struggled. Turns out he was just like me, go baby. Somebody gave me Mars Meads Moms, and I bawled all the way through. All the way through, because it's this little boy who does not appreciate his mother. And at the very end, she gives his life for him. And it's beautiful. You'll cry. She doesn't end up dying. It's a beautiful kid story. My kids actually hate the pictures because they're like, it gives me nightmares. But yesterday, this son is 19 now, and he is in Argentina, and I miss him so bad. And he sent me the most beautiful Mother's Day present. A lovely, lovely little letter. And I cried, and my husband read it, and he laughed out loud. He's like, not the little boy that used to drive you crazy anymore, is it? Come on. He's like, it was so worth it. The days were tough with that boy, but oh my gosh, he is my best friend in the whole wide world now, and my biggest champion and my biggest cheerleader. And we are so close, and I adore that boy, and he adores his mama, and we are so close. And it was because of those hard days that, like, I'm not kidding you guys, there were days I would hit my knees and go, Lord, just let me keep him alive. If he just doesn't die on my watch, because the things he would do, I would be grateful. Those were my prayers some days. Lord, thank you today that he survived. And that he struggled, he had ADHD, he had dyslexia. He could barely write at the age of 17 because he wouldn't do it for me. All of a sudden, like overnight, he's writing every day. So that's what I can do for you. I show you the end from the beginning. I show you that the hard days pay off. I will show you your children do benefit from having their mother at home. You are raising your best friends. If you don't have great friends in your life, know that you are raising them and they will be your best friends. Carly says, We did, I am so nervous about putting too much info into iHib and quarterly reports and annual. Okay, don't worry about that. Don't worry about that. Should I actually have a video on this on YouTube? Go into my YouTube channel. Well, I show you how to fill it out with my homeschool villages curriculum. Um, don't worry about too much info. I can guarantee you they're not going through it all. They're doing a quick scan and they don't have the manpower for this. They're gonna do in a quick scan, make sure you fill it in and moving on. And the only time that you really need to worry about it is if like there's some form of abuse or legal battles inside your home, then they're gonna look at it. So I have been told if you're in New York, you do want to sign up for the HSLDA. Like, I never used to tell people if you're in New York, it's okay. Maybe. They're not even the HSLDA now is saying, if you're in New York, just sign up with us because they're getting weird over there. So um, it's like $15 a month. I would get in with HSLDA if you are in New York. It's the only state I say, oh, you're in New York, do it. It's the only one. Um one question was about how graduation works with homeschooling. However, I have learned the parents give the high school diploma. I was curious about a graduation ceremony, but I've seen depending on your location, there are groups that get together to do graduation ceremonies and photos. Yeah. So there are always groups in your states that'll do it. And if not, do one. Like a mom will just decide to do it for her kid. We threw a homeschool prom in our backyard. So we put out, like my daughters, they were a year apart. It was their junior, senior year. COVID had happened and it still things weren't back. So we decorated our backyard. We called it the barefoot prom. Bring your proms and come barefoot, but dress up and come barefoot. We had the best time. And we threw our own prom. And it was so cool. The kids loved it and it was clean and it was. Now I couldn't have done a graduation, but my kids didn't care. And none of my kids lasted till like at 16, they were all ready to move on. And they're like, I don't care about a ceremony, mom. Please don't make me do it. So we didn't worry about it. They did want senior pictures. They're all like, Well, my friends are getting senior pictures. Can I have some? I'm like, heck yeah. And so we did those. None of my kids needed a diploma. If at any time, I actually had one company, my daughter went to a private school for massage therapy, and they asked for her diploma. And I had to call them and explain to them that she was homeschooled. They're like, Well, we don't know how to do the homeschooling thing. And I was like, look, here's how it works. I explained it to them, and they're like, we're gonna have to have you talk to the owner. So I got on the phone with the owner and explained to him the homeschool laws that he was that he didn't get to do this. Now, he did say she's in massage. That's touching bodies. She has to be 18 when she graduates. I'm like, fair enough. But he's like, well, normally we require a diploma. I said, well, in homeschooling, we provide it. So I can just write it up for you. And he's like, oh. Well, then I guess it doesn't matter. I said, tell you what, give her the year. I'm paying tuition anyway. And if she's not your best student, then you can never have another homeschooler again. But if she is one of your best students, now you know who you want to start putting the word out to. He's like, fair enough. By the end of that year, she was the top student in the class, two years to three to even five years younger than everybody else. Um, aced it, did beautifully. And after that, he called me and he's like, You were right. How do I get more homeschoolers into my program? I'm like, ha ha, that's right, bud. So um, usually it's just about educating if anybody gives you trouble. I have had my children have been asked for their diploma. They've been asked for a diploma when they applied to a job, and they would just say, I was homeschooled, I don't have a diploma, but I'm happy to prove to you what my value. Just let me work for 30 days and you'll see that I'm worth my time. And that answer alone makes the employer go, Okay. So the right answer can erase a diploma. Like sometimes they just don't get it. They ask because that's what's done, but they don't understand that it's not really required or needed, and that, you know, my My kids will say flat out, look, I'm gonna be the best worker you've ever seen. So you can hire me with or without the diploma, but nobody's gonna work harder for you than I will. That gets me every time. Every time. Hi, Katie. Hi, Giselle. I think that's how you say that, right? Samantha's here. Does that help with the graduation ceremony? I'll be honest, if you're homeschooling with littles, they don't see the point. So I thought, I want my kids to have a graduation and a problem, and I want them to have this. They didn't know it existed. And then they go and watch their friends' graduation ceremonies. They're like, this is the stupidest thing. It's so interesting to see a child who wasn't raised in the system look at some of the traditions with new eyes and were like, huh, nah. My daughter went to the graduation. She had a bunch of friends who graduated as a senior. She'd already been a year into college, went back to the graduation with her friends and went, that was boring. I don't get it. And then went and did the same parties as with everybody else and hung out with them and whatever. And so she was like, for about two minutes, I felt left out. And then I realized I had a whole year of education behind me that they sort of just getting started on, and I was over it. So that was theirs. Now I don't know that all kids are like that, but it's been very fascinating to see my children, because I was public schools, guys. And I was like involved. I was class vice president and cheerleader. And I got into everything. And so my family was shocked that I would be the one to homeschool because I had the most fun in high school. But it's because I experienced those things, because I did all the popular stuff that everybody says was so important that I realized there was nothing in it. It was empty. I remember just being in the spotlight was a lot of pressure. And you get attacked, and it's not all it looks like. People hate you. People don't treat you well. You can try to be a little mispopular no matter what, but somebody will hate you for it. It was, I got my life threatened all the time. My house was egged. This was a 16-year-old girl who was just trying to do what everybody told her was the thing to do. And so having lived that side, I realized there was nothing to it that my kids would really miss out on. So when they did go through and didn't ever deal with that kind of pressure, their confidence, I didn't even know existed. Guys, I did not know children could be as confident as my kids are by just keeping them out of the system. Like, I'm as shocked as you guys. Like, I had no idea that kids could come out confident, secure, know who they are, know what they want, go after it, and not be swayed by outside opinions and ideas. That's what I learned by watching my children. They taught me. I had hoped when I started homeschooling my kids. I hoped that this would work out and I hoped that this would be the right path. And at the time I just didn't want them in the crap. I was just trying to save them from the ick I was seeing in the world, but I didn't know I was building a whole new set of wings. I didn't know existed. And they built them. I just protected their atmosphere. I protected their world so that they could become these beautiful little birds and angels I didn't know could exist in the world. And that has been absolutely mind-blowing. Mind-blowing. Like, and people almost don't believe me, but it's the more kids you meet that just didn't get put in the system, like your worst day at home is still better than the best day in public school, you guys. Still. It really is for you and your kids. But yeah. So tell me what you need. What other questions do you have? What other guidance do you need? Um, what do I need to pull out of my very long life of homeschooling that I can provide for you, help you with? Do you have a struggling reader? Do you have somebody who's dyslexic? Do you have an ADHD kid? Are you dealing with IEPs? We are bringing in a specialist. That's all I'm going to say. We have been interviewing IEP women who know homeschooling and IEPs intimately and can help a mom create an IEP inside the homeschool. Now, I believe that IEPs, by the way, individual education plan is homeschool. Every child deserves an IEP, an individual education plan, but there are kids who have more needs, and that is can be intimidating to a parent. My homeschool village, we're bringing in a mom who can help with that, can help you guide you, direct you, um, translate the IEP at school into a homeschool world. And she's coming along. Several women who now work for my homeschool village started uh just coming online with me and talking and sharing with me their strengths. Um part of my homeschool village is about, it's not about Rebecca. It's not about just the families, it's about bringing in women who have been called to more and giving them a place to give it. You have talents. You have something inside you burning. And my job says, is to provide a place for you to share your talents with the world. And that's what my homeschool village has become is we have moms come in and it's beautiful. I'll know I need a teacher for this, and then all of a sudden I'll meet a mom on one of these lives. And it's like, you're it. And it clicks and it works, and it's beautiful. And anyway, hi, Erica. But that's how the company's run. The whole company is run by homeschool moms who felt a call and approached me and said, I would like to come help you. That's a good thing I have a team of women running my homeschool village, but it is literally ran by the moms whose children are in the program. And so the feedback is from the moms. Everything's ran by the moms. It's beautiful. So I have five and I've homeschooled from the beginning. My oldest is 24. I have five kids. I've homeschooled for over 20 years because she started. I mean, if you go from her birth date, 24 years, 24 and a half years. Now, if you start from the age of five, 20 years, right? But let's be honest, it's not like at point when she turned five, I was like, and I'm a homeschool mom. No, I've been teaching that kid since the day she was born. So yeah, it's been 24 years. Um, homeschooling five. And I have been coaching other women for over a decade. I started, um even just a few years into homeschooling, I started helping other moms homeschooled because we were like needing each other so badly. And so we were teaming up together and helping each other out. And then I would have a friend like, I'm thinking about it, and she'd come in. And another friend, I'm thinking about it, and we'd talk and she'd come in. And so I have been like flat openly coaching other homeschool moms for 10 years. It's been a long time, which is why I see a lot of patterns that a lot of people don't see. I see a lot of what's really going on in families. I have seen a lot of pretty, I've seen a lot of ugly, but yeah, you're not gonna find very many homeschool moms out there who've homeschooled as long as I have and coached as long as I have. I know one or two, but they're not coaching. And usually they're joining me in my homeschool village and helping other moms. So my calling in life is to strengthen the heart of the home, which is the mother, so that she may strengthen the rest of her family, whether it's husband and children or just children, maybe she's single. Um, but my true goal in life is strengthen mom. Now I provide the curriculum for your kids. I provide the life classes for your kids. And part of that is to give you a break. Number one, to give your kids a great, excellent education where you know they're being educated well. Number two, while they're being educated well, they're learning to self-educate, they're learning independence, they're learning how to do things on their own, and you're getting a break. So if you're exhausted as a homeschool parent, you really need to come join my homeschool college because the whole purpose of it is to lighten your load. And that's what I've created because it was something I needed. Homeschooling is not easy. It is not for the week, guys. Homeschooling is not for the week. It's for those who are willing to try on a daily basis. You just have to show up, which can be the hardest part. Let's be honest. Mary says, I'm a single mom in my 50s, and I want to homeschool my 13 and 15 teen. But of course, they don't want to. But it's getting bad, and my son, that's 13-year-old, has battled with school and behaviors, and they just want to kick him out of school and they're exhausted, and so am I. That's pretty normal for that age. Um, and you have to ask yourself. I mean, at those ages, they should have some opinion, but you're still the mom. And this is one of those moments when I advise to you is hit your knees. What is best? Stand your ground. If you're feeling like you need to be homeschooling them, then that's what you need to do. I've told my kids when they're my kids have all gone through a bit of a rebel stage, and one of them in particular, and I remember looking him straight in the face as he was rebelling against everything we did. And I could see it in his eyes, this fire of you can't make me in his eyes. And I looked him straight in the eye and I said, I will fight for you to the death, even if you're the one I'm fighting, but I will not let you fail. And he looked at me and he softened. And he was like, he knew Smama was not backing down. And um, he tells me that was one of the changing moments of his life to find out. When your child knows that you will fight for them, even if they are the ones you're fighting, that's power, and that's what they will love, and that's what they need to see. Is their mother fighting for them? Even when they're the ones you fight. Does that help? And if you need help with them, come sign up with my homeschool village. We have a lot of kids in the ages that are struggling, and then they come in and do our classes and love them. Hi, Tamara. Uh, I've been falling for a short time. Do I need other curriculum if I join your homeschool group? No. We have everything you need. Everything. The group, the support, the curriculum, and life classes. You really don't need anything. Yeah. I got everything. Now that there are like things that we'll recommend, like make sure you buy this book, you'll want that, or things like that. But yeah, we have a curriculum you need. Been that way since K7. Then pull them. What do they say? The sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If you pull them, which I highly recommend, honestly, they're gonna need therapy because trauma happens daily in public school, and they've been dealing with trauma for a very long time. So your 13 and 15-year-old will need therapy. If you can get some through a church, through something where you can find it cheaper. De school, which means you need to give them some time without a like tack where they can disappear to be bored, to find out who they are, what they want. Your focus at 13 and 15 should not be reading, writing, math, getting them into college. It should be who are you? What do you love? If you had freedom, what would you want to pursue? Let's find your talents. Let's go and see museums for fun. And the whole purpose is to discover who they are, what they love. You work on healing of the brain and the body. You work on making sure they're getting enough protein and a good diet, because I can guarantee they're not getting that as cool. You make sure they're getting enough sleep. Because a 13-year-old boy, my 13-year-old son right now is sleeping 14 to 16 hours a night because he's growing and he's grown a foot in a year. So a 13, he needs to grow. And he might just come home and sleep for a few weeks. And that's okay. Because as his body's growing, his brain will catch up later. So bring them home. This is what I would do if I had your kids. I would bring them home. I would let them sleep for like two weeks. Or whatever they need. And then I would start to just go do things with them and let them find safety again. Just work on how to provide safety for them because they don't know what it is. The kid in public school doesn't know what safety feels like on a daily basis. He refuses to talk to anyone. We tried it, and 13-year-old has ADHD. Okay, and this is normal. So my son, who's been homeschooled his whole life, has been going through this right now. Typical 13-year-old behavior. Okay, we do have a therapist for him. He meets weekly with a therapist. Luckily, our church pays for it because that could get expensive. Um, he has a therapist every week and has helped a lot, but we do let him sleep like crazy. Didn't sleep good since he was little. Yeah, because he goes to school. And if he can't sleep, can't think, his emotions are whacked. So you have to start with his health. Forget about academics for a year. Like I would give him a year off of academics and focus on his health, proteins, sleep, especially because if he's not in a gross spurt, he's about to go through one. And you've got to give room for the gross bird. So start doing your research on 13-year-olds and what they really need. There's a book called Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. You need to be reading that for your teens. They need as much sleep as a newborn. Did you know that? A teenager who's going through gross birds and puberty needs as much sleep as a newborn, but yet we don't give it to them. So there's a book, Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, on Amazon. Get it. Read it. Then go do research on what a child of that age needs scientifically for their body and mind and focus on those. Because a child who is not in good health cannot be taught. But a child who feels safe, secure, and is healthy cannot be stopped from learning. Hi, Lisa. Okay? So you've got to make sure that his body and mind heal. Give him that time to heal. Get him safe. He needs to know because the trauma he's been through, think of it as like serious PTSD. We underestimate the PTSD, the stress we put our kids in through public school, the constant bullying, the constant anxiety they live in. You bring them home, you've got to get that regulated. Whether he needs medication, whether he needs therapy, whether he needs the right diet and exercise, more sleep, you as the mother, pray about it. Learn it, do the research, figure out what your each child needs, get them mentally, spiritually, physically healthy. If you can do that, their minds will take off on their own. And then it's hard to keep up. But if you don't do that, nothing you teach will get in. Nothing. And this is the problem they're having the public school systems. They teach academics before brain and body. And that's why they can't. They'll never succeed. It's like his brain don't shut off. He's smart, but grades don't reflect. Okay. Then he's going to be an entrepreneur. Okay? Um grades don't matter. They don't matter. And he might just be an entrepreneur. And a kid with a brain like that and who gets it focused in the right direction, he'll just be rich. Enjoy that one. He's a hard one to stubborn, but thank you for your I got a couple of those too. And um at about 17 he grew out of it. Finally, he quit sleeping all the time. He grew up and he was like 6'2. And then all of a sudden he was starving. Like a bear who woke up, ate everything in the house, and then at 19, all of a sudden he grew up and he became a man overnight, and it's beautiful. But the teen years are rough with those boys, I will tell you. I'm glad I got on here. Hi, Lisa. My two granddaughters are going through this right now. They are 13, 14. Oh, uh-huh. Uh-huh. That is a rough age for all children. Guys, all children. And sometimes it's okay to like lay off academics for a couple of years. Yes, years. Because their bodies, brain spirits, just focus on those things. And maybe all they learn about is puberty and what their bodies are doing. Maybe you do some biology because that's what they're learning. That's what they're, you know. Students. Teach them to take care of their bodies. That will be the best education you could give them. And then when they wake back up and they come out of all this silly stuff, they'll be interested in other things. Trust that God created children who want to learn. Because He did. He created these beautiful spirits who want more, who want progress. But the world is built to just smash it. And so we're fighting against the teaching to smash potential. Hi, Samantha. Hope that helps. And I know it's hard to believe what I'm saying, but I have lived this five times. Five times. Yeah. I am not shocked the public school is trained them. And can you imagine? Just put yourself in your kid's spot for a minute. You gotta show up. Have you ever tried to hang out at a school for the day? And the chaos and the requirements. Like if you were as a parent went and just sat in your child's chair for the day. Sit still, don't go to the bathroom unless you're told, and now you gotta announce to everybody you gotta pee, right? So the pressures, eating bad food, being told what to do all day, sitting at a desk, what parent could put up with that anymore? Not one of us. And yet we expect children to do it. It seems abusive. Why are we expecting of our children what we would never do anymore for ourselves? Like, would any of us have picked the public school system if we had a choice? Any of us? No. Had I known back then, had I been given a choice, so wouldn't have chosen public school system, but that doesn't mean that there's not better ways to be educated. They can still be educated. It just has to be done differently. But yeah, public schooling is training. Guys, I have a friend who, um, her kids were all in school, and she was telling me one day, she's like, I have all this time on my hands, and I thought about maybe going and volunteering at the school to see how I can help. She said, I went for a whole day there, and I was like, oh my gosh, I cannot stand this atmosphere. I don't want to be here anymore. And I left. I said, Hold up. You don't want to spend one day of volunteering in a public school system in the exact same school system you send your children to on a daily basis. Well, no. You don't see anything wrong with that. She's like, huh. No. I do. If I'm not willing to do it, they shouldn't be forced to either. That's how we played. Not sending them back next school year. Yay! Keeping them home. I've seen too much this year. Lisa, high pride. High five. Use the summer to de-school, to play, to work on the body, the brain, right? Spirit. Work on those things. Just use the summer for that. Don't worry about the curriculum until fall. Just enjoy it. Just work on healing. Healing. All about healing. Let him do that. Okay, guys. So I'm gonna go. Thank you so much for being here, and I will see you inside the village, if you're a mess. And if not, that's okay. We will see you again later. All right, have a good one, guys. Thanks. That's the wrap for today. I hope you're leaving with something real, something you can actually use. This is a long game. You don't have to get it all right today. Just show up tomorrow. That's enough. If this episode helped you, share it with another mom who needs it. And if you're ready for a village to do this with, find us in the show notes. Until next time, keep going. The revolution starts at home.