Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

When his son turned 11, Kevin Swanson decided it was time to stop homeschooling. Instead, they started car-schooling, office-schooling, and conference-room-schooling. While education might not look quite like that for your family, Kevin has some principles that can apply to you! Join him today on Home School Heartbeat, with host Mike Smith.

“Your Turn, Dad” @home e-vent package

In this package, six different dads from different stages in life chime in with their lessons on fatherhood. In these encouraging webinars, they cover everything from having a “presence in your absence” to being a dad who is “fully there”—how to engage your children, teach them, and help your wife from shouldering all the burden of both home and school. Want to get some tips on managing work and family? Find encouragement in raising up godly children? You’ll find it all here.

Learn More Here >>

Mike Smith:
Not every dad can bring his son to work with him like you did, but other dads can still apply some of the principles you learned, Kevin. Would you share some of them please?

Kevin Swanson:
Well, I think, Mike, first of all, every dad needs to realize that quality time is quantity time. A friend of mine says that discipling boys is like duck-hunting: you’ve got to work for two hours behind the blind and then you get five seconds of action. Boys just need more time with their dads. Now, that may be 5% more, 10% more, but we’ve got to get more time with our sons. And you’ve got to ratchet that time up when the boy’s 12, 13, 14, 15 years of age. I ask the question, “Is there any reason my son cannot go with me to the hardware store right now?” Just bring your son along with you, if you’re doing this or that.

Secondly, your son is going to turn out a lot like you, and that’s kind of scary, but that means that you’ve got to be working on yourself and you’ve got to be transparent at the same time that you’re working with your son.

Finally, love your son. In spite of his sins, his foibles, and all of that, realize that God loves you despite all your foibles and sins. So, affirm his strengths, love him, pray for him, believe that God has something special for that boy.

Mike:
Thank you so much for sharing that with us today, Kevin. I know our listeners will really appreciate it! And so until next time, I’m Mike Smith.