Almost everyone knows of a family with a child who marches to his or her own drum beat.
Homeschooling the Rebel, Part One, details one family's solution to maintaining order in their home while trying to tame their “rebel”. As a person who has cared for challenged children, I was drawn to the book by the cover which showed a child biting his lips and sporting a scowl. The story further gained my interest by the re-telling of a heated argument in which the author and her child fought with equal defiance to control a situation. “I won't” and “You will, too” became a never-ending cacophony day after day until the author decided to look for solutions.
From time to time, all parents face non-compliance in their children but the kind dealt with by the author is only read about in books, or so she thought. Her anguish played out the inner struggle she battled while hunting down root causes for her child's “rebellious” spirit. She began looking for possible triggers to his “explosions”, even examining how she may have contributed to his behavior patterns through expectations that were too elevated or not spending enough time with him. This part of the story is where many readers will empathize.
The main concern the author had for her child dealt with the initial behavioral response of defiance and continual opposition over seemingly petty things. She did, however, express the possibility that the child might have suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder, stating that he is “ultra-slow” and has a “high level of distractability”.
Whereas some parents would have merely labeled the child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and consequently excused the behavior as a disability that can't be helped, Mrs. Wueler searched for answers and then shared her results with the readers.
Solutions were a compiliation of techniques and strategies to discipline, mentor, teach, and emmerse her child in wholesome literature and Scripture. Care was taken to implement a stringent schedule as well as consistent routines. Cancellation of many outside activities provided more time to work on discipleschip and modelling of self-control. All of this was tempered by a firm resolve to train and love the child into a position of respect for authority.
Some of the methods resemebled attachment parenting techniques in the sense that the child spent most of the time in adult-directed activities in the close proximity of a parent who could coach and correct. Also, she used earned priviledges to teach respect, obedience and self-control. None of these were time related priviledges. Where the methods contrasted with attachment parenting is where the adult supervision and direction was not only matricarchal but also included the father.
Homeschooling the Rebel, Part One, is an easy read with twelve pages of instruction, providing quick, practical ways to implement the ideas for parenting one of these difficult children. Page thirteen begins an appendix with general information on homeschooling. Also included are links to other helpful information such as their online catalgoue and subscriptions to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
One element that did seem out of place in the appendix, but was enjoyable nonetheless, was a poem by Amelia Harper called, “To A HomeSchool Mom”.
Finding Part One of Homeschooling The Rebel to be very informative, this reveiwer is curious about what could possibly be contained in Part Two. Part One receives four stars!
To purchase a copy of the above-reviewed E-book, visit. http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/
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