Hey Mama Monday: College, Trade School, Apprenticeships – What to Do After Graduation, Mama

When preparing your children for life after homeschool, there are so many options to think through. You may be helping them to consider things such as trade schools, college, apprenticeships, entrepreneurial ventures, or just plain preparation for life.

Our first graduate took a year off after high school to consider his possibilities. He decided that would be a good time for extended mission trips and trying out future job possibilities in the form of volunteer work in those areas. He eventually decided he needed a B.A. to proceed in the direction of his life goals.

Even if you don’t have older children, what should you add to your teaching now to prepare your children for life after homeschool? Whether it is college life or marriage life or employment, there are ways that we can help our children prepare. In answering three questions, we will gain insight into what is necessary: what will they need to be ready to do, what will they need to be ready to face, and what is most important for life?

Ready to Do:

Do they have good study skills?

Do they know how to research information?

Can they write an essay?

Do they communicate clearly?

Can they balance a checkbook or know how to use an online program?

Can they cook a meal?

Do they know how to clean and organize a household?

Do they know how to care for young children?

Are they teachable?

Ready to Face:

Do they have a Biblical worldview?

Are they strong in their faith?

Can they articulate their convictions?

Have they read the Bible through?

Are they influenced by peer pressure?

Do they know how to handle stressful situations?

Are they fervent in prayer?

Are they serving the Lord with the gifts and abilities He’s given them?

Most Important:

Do they love God?

Do they love others?

These are definitely not comprehensive lists as I am sure I have overlooked something, so ask God for wisdom for your child. Don’t be anxious; pray.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7

Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor and Director of Production here at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She would say she is a very ordinary homeschool mom–with one exception: she has an extra-ordinary God Who provides all she needs for life and homeschooling. She has eight children aged 11 to 29. Deborah’s mission is this: to point other homeschoolers to the Lord in all they do, think, and feel—and to confirm that they, too, can find everything they need for life, godliness–and homeschooling–in their knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3, 4).