The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

his life anymore, and that translated into freedom for both of us.

School Became Important

After this trip, my son’s interest in school changed. He took school more seriously, and wanted more control over what classes he took. Though he was only sixteen, I stepped aside and let him have his own way. I enrolled him in online college courses. I learned not to question him about his work. I simply awaited the end of the semester report card to see how he’d done. Indeed, he put in the effort needed to earn the grades he wanted: A’s and B’s.

Then, for his senior year of high school, he was so completely on his own with his schedule and school work, I enrolled him in college more than 200 miles from home under our state’s free dual enrollment program. It was time for him to move out and take even more responsibility. He moved in with his brother on the college campus to complete his senior year. The budgeting he’d learned in Europe also came in handy as he navigated living on a tight budget in college.

He graduated from high school last May with 39 college credits and a 3. 6 GPA. He’s making straight A’s during his first “official” year of college. A child who once had the habit of doing the bare minimum was transformed. Being on his own gave him a sense of personal ownership of his destiny—and a deeper insight and wisdom about the world and his place in it.

Self-Awareness and Insight

As a homeschooler who lived in the same area his entire life, my son’s knowledge and understanding of the world was obviously limited. In the hostels where he stayed during his trip, he had to share rooms with traveling strangers from all over the world. He met people who jarred him out of the assumption that everyone’s life was essentially like his.

He met a Canadian college professor
traveling the world with no end or destina-
tion in mind. He had long discussions with
a German group about their perspective
on life and Americans. He engaged with
street vendors who complained about the
rich. He gained a wiser perspective, in-
sight that grew his self-awareness coupled
with cultural awareness. He finally came
to understand his unique place in this
giant world, and the privilege of his life.
With these and many other encounters,
he grew in his compassion for cultural dif-
ferences, for poverty, and for people. He
learned to see the world through the eyes
of wisdom and insight far beyond his age.

The Right Choice

So, there you have it. I sent my son on an unknown adventure as an aggravated teen, and he came back a responsible, and thoroughly pleasant adult. I prayed day and night for him. I knew God was watching over him, even as he slept outside on a bench in a foreign city. Even when I had no contact with him because he lost his phone. Even when I despaired that he’d make a muck of it. I knew God loved him far more than I ever could. I knew He had led us in this direction. I had to trust God. And He, as always, was faithful.

In the end, I realized a most valuable truth: my son is capable. He has the ability to survive in this world. He has the tools to overcome adversity, to manage his life without help, and he now knows what it’s like out there. He also knows what he wants from life. He walks with a confidence, a surety, and a conviction that I don’t think would have been possible before this adventure.

It’s hard to step aside and let those boys be men. But when we do, we discover God’s got them in the palm of His hand.

Jeannie Fulbright, homeschool mother and Certified Life Coach, is the author of Apologia’s Young Explorer science series, and the upcoming Roadmap to College and Career Planner for students to plan and prosper through high school. You can find Jeannie on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and her website www.Jeannie Fulbright.com, where she offers encouragement and counsel to homeschool parents .