Constructive Energy Outlets

By: Conrad Long

I sympathize very deeply with the average homeschool household. Rightly aligned values, especially the desire to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, properly drive them away from the public school system, and most private schools too. Keeping the family together is a wonderful thing, especially while avoiding so much bad stuff that goes on outside.

I do remember a major struggle with finding useful things to do though. Of course there are tons of good things you can do at home; top of the list for me were learning and enjoying my family. There is much Bible study to be done, many good books to read, lots of chores, exercise, & self-improvement that you can do, not to mention all the games and fun you can have with parents and siblings. But particularly as you become more competent in schoolwork and chores, you need more to do.

Parents can search for all kinds of fun and educational activities for you. Youth organizations, co-ops, sports, etc. You can help at church functions, mow lawns, start a lemonade stand, volunteer for a political campaign. Maybe at 16 you can even get a part-time job. None of these are bad things to do. But we are doing our best to find constructive outlets for enormous energy and potential, and a lot gets wasted.

I should mention that the typical private or public school paradigm is much worse, not only for the reasons stated at the beginning, but also for finding useful things to do. Insane amounts of energy and time are wasted spinning wheels and doing nothing, unable to even participate in many piecemeal activities above.

The root of the problem is that the family is still partially separated. Mom and kids together is great, but kids aren’t designed just to be nurtured and trained without being involved in (much) practical work until they turn 18. Kids are supposed to be apprenticed to their parents. Real world work helping your dad to support the household is irreplaceable.

Even from the very youngest age, it’s amazing to be able to tangibly contribute. Not only can you help your parents with more than a few chores around the house, but you can actually make them more effective as a family team. You can learn about earning a little of your own money, not from an outsized allowance for basic responsibilities, but in connection with the real money you help bring in. Even more importantly, dad will be able to instruct and train his kids throughout the day, so that mom will not have to take over discipline, and his children can be instructed in real world skills that will mean something more than just lines on a resume.

I’m not blaming anybody for failing to do this. Our whole society has been structured against this lifestyle for quite some time. But it’s a blessing not to be discounted, a key benefit of the Family Business, which has been Forgotten (see my other article.)