How did you handle one dual enrolling, one at home?

I’m not sure of the ages of your children and whether dual enrollment means college + high school or high school classes at a brick & mortar school + homeschool classes.  However, I can tell you of two experiences I’ve had.

First, when my autistic son was 13, his father and I decided to look into a charter school that served kids on the autism spectrum and others with ADHD, sensory processing disorders, etc.  We toured the school and my son was on board with it, so he started 7th grade there.  After one year there, he moved to a nearby suburb with his dad, was enrolled in the local school district, and has been part of a wonderful special ed program.  It worked all around because, during that first year, it finally gave my two girls (7th grade & 9th grade) some breathing room.  My son’s emotional and educational needs made him rather high-maintenance, and having him in another location from 7:30 to 4 on weekdays motivated the girls to buckle down, get schoolwork done, and have some afternoon free time to tackle things that were difficult to do with him around, or just have some peace and quiet.  It allowed me to focus on their schoolwork instead of just handing things over to them and telling them to just work on it independently.  (We did miss his funny comments during literature and history readings.)

Then, last year my oldest graduated from high school and secured a job right around the time school started back up for us.  With her, we set some boundaries for times she was home during the school day.  It was understood that if we were reading a history book, she was welcome to sit with us and listen (“No thanks…..I’m done with high school!”), but otherwise she was to be respectful of our school schedule, which she usually was.  Since she was used to the schedule we keep, it wasn’t that hard for her.

Having just one student at home is great for getting to know that child even better, but it still seems like there is so much to fill the day and it slips by so fast.  One adjustment was having to reallocate chores during the day, but there are less dishes to wash when there is only two of you.  Sometimes it is hard to leave some chores for the oldest after work, plus I give her fewer chores since she is working all day.

In the end, I have been sort of waiting for this time to have more personal time with my youngest.  She’s a bit quieter, more introspective, and I’ve spent years wishing she could just be heard over the family din.  So, now is that time.  But I do have to remind myself to stop and spend time listening.

Maintaining the atmosphere you’ve come to treasure would be one thing I would spend time establishing.  Setting clear expectations of everyone should make things go smoothly once school starts up again, and your older child no doubt understands what you’ve been doing all along.