Raising Lifelong Learners

Are you planning to come out to a homeschool convention this season? Colleen will be speaking at all seven of the Great Homeschool Conventions and several others as well -- you can find her entire calendar on her speaking page. In this episode, though, she chats about why you should consider attending as a homeschool parent of a differently-wired kiddo.  There are opportunities to check out curriculum, talk to experts in all subject areas, be inspired by different tyes of speakers, and enjoy special events like the Real Mom Tour she, Pam Barnhill, and Sarah MacKenzie are hosting at each GHC event! Make sure you leave a comment or a voice mail to let her know which event you'll be at -- she can't wait to meet you!

Today, Colleen talks to Kristen Jenson, author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today's Young Kids and founder of Protect Young Minds. This conversation dives deeply into what porn does to the brain, how it contributes to addiction, and how we can protect our differently-wired kiddos who often need more than just a "don't do it" to convince them that our advice might be worth following. This is an episode you don't want to miss. 

Do you feel like all you ever do is yell at and correct your intense child? That for every time you praise him, you’ve already berated him 15 times? And, are you completely exhausted before you’ve finished your first cup of coffee? Yeah… me too. This audioblog shares tips for helping you work with your intense child to have them get on board with family rules and structures so you can all have the peace you crave.

So many gifted and twice-exceptional kiddos struggle with perfectionism, and untreated perfectionism can lead to other problems like low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and even eating disorders. Finding ways to talk to your kiddos is important, and keeping the conversation going can help them feel comfortable opening up when they're having a problem. In today's episode, Colleen gives you tips for talking your kiddo through perfectionism and helping them move past it. There are plenty of additional resources below to help you continue working with your kiddo.

Let's face it -- homeschooling differently-wired kiddos is challenging. Parenting them is challenging. But, when life hits you from all sides, and you have highly emotional, anxiety-filled, and otherwise differently-wired kids to parent through it, you're going to be lucky to get dinner on the table some days, let alone get any homeschooling done.  And, will they really learn anything anyway when their lives are uncertain, family is sick, there's a death or a move to deal with? Probably not. So what do you do? Colleen sits down and chats real life in this episode as she's been parenting and homeschooling her four quirky kiddos through a lot of life stuff lately, and has a few insights. She's not going to solve all your problems, but you'll walk away from this episode knowing that you're not the only one who gets hit by too much stuff at once, and that you will get through it.

Parenting and homeschooling a differently-wired kiddo is tough. When you're homeschooling a gifted only child, it can be exhausting. You need to stay a few steps ahead of your kiddo as you're the only one they've got to play with, learn from, and do things with.  Jessica Waldock chats with Colleen today about the ways she brings delight and interest-led learning into the homeschooling she does with her super-adorable gifted only child. Emily even pops in to tell us what she loves to learn about. This is an inspiring episode with loadds of practical and actionable things you can implement in your homeschool right now -- even if you have more than one gifted or otherwise quirky kiddos of your own.

How do YOU fight back against perfectionism and recapture the joy of the homeschool you dreamed about? In this episode, Colleen tackles a listener question related to this topic and offers some practical tips for keeping the joy and fun alive. 

I’m willing to bet that every person reading this has experienced anxiety, depression, or stress at one point or another in their life. And I’m willing to bet that it wasn’t a pleasant experience. For as many as one in eight children, though, anxiety is a daily struggle. Today's episode is an audioblog -- a popular post about an important topic brought to you in audio format so that you can listen on the go.  Pop over to the post itself to leave comments or questions. >> Helping Your Child Cope with Anxiety

Think all teachers are against homeschooling? That's actually pretty far from the truth -- I've met many current and former teachers who have chosen to homeschool their kiddos just like today's guest. Mariel Howsepian and her husband Pete are lifelong learners living in Southern California where they homeschool their profoundly gifted daughter. Pete's held many different jobs throughout the years, but now he adventures with their daughter during the day while Mariel works as a public school teacher. In the evenings, she picks up the lifelong learning gauntlet and jumps in to learn right alongside their daughter. 

Over the years, Colleen has talked extensively about her youngest daughter's struggle with anxiety, and so has her daughter. Today, Sara writes in with a great question, prompting Colleen to reflect on the earlier years in their anxiety journey. Listen to find out what she'd change, if anything. And, if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment, send an email, or leave a voice mail message below. Your question might be the next one featured on the show. Show notes for this episode: Episode 49