Ginny started homeschooling 40 years ago to protect her children’s innocence. Sadly, the world has only gotten worse, and kids are exposed to minefields of inappropriate stuff.

Over the years, Ginny has learned volumes. With those lessons learned, today, she and Mary Ellen discuss seven rules on how to navigate through it all.

They start with what younger kids can handle.

1. YOU, the parent, are the best judge of your child’s maturity level

• Not your friends and neighbors
• Not relatives who only see your children on holidays
• Not total strangers on social media
• You can, and should, tailor information based on maturity level.

2. Ask a question before you answer one to determine the maturity level

You may not entirely understand what your child wants to know.

Asking a question helps you give age-appropriate answers.

3. Strictly limit internet access

• More and more kids need phones, but they don’t need smartphones.
• Nip the habit of sitting behind a screen.
• Let them go outside and play.
• There’s just too much information, bad and good.
• Don’t let the online world substitute for you.

4. Encourage prayer

• When kids are too young to understand, an answer can always be, “Let’s pray for them.”
• If you say family prayers together, remember to include these intentions.

5. Don’t kid yourself!

Be prepared, there comes a time when they are simply going to be exposed, from scouts, sports teams, or cousins, to events that are complex and difficult to explain.

6. Start the habit of daily dinner time conversation

Younger years are when to start with some prompts:

• Three things you are grateful for.
• A person you helped today.
• What would you change about…

As they enter their teen years, your children will have developed the habit of discussing things with you and within the family. So how do we address a world we sometimes struggle to understand?

7. Faith First

The most important thing we can do when dealing with events and ideas is to apply Scripture and Church teaching to them. “This is wrong because Our Lord said….” or “Catholics have always supported this…”

Finally, Teach the Faith Everyday

This podcast is sponsored by Seton Home Study, a program that both Ginny and Mary Ellen have used with great success. If you aren’t using Seton, may we urge you to prayerfully reconsider using this thoroughly Catholic program –one where the Faith is integrated into literature, history and science. Your children need strong Faith formation to understand and navigate this crazy world.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Catalog - Free

Seton Home Study School - website

Seton Testing Services - website