Podcast
The Raising Lifelong Learners podcast helps parents — especially homeschooling parents — encourage their differently-wired kids to learn, explore passions, cultivate creativity, and become fascinated by the world around them. Join host Colleen Kessler — educational consultant, gifted specialist, author, and speaker — for interviews, audioblogs, tips, and encouragement to help your differently-wired kiddos become lifelong learners — children who know that they can find the answers to anything they want to know if they can just view their world with play, passion, and fascination.
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Social Energy, Recovery Plans, and Connection for Neurodivergent Families
“Why does she fall apart after playdates?”It’s the question that hangs heavy over many afternoons, coming after the laughter, lively chatter, and friendship-building that seemed to go just fine. You know the routine—everyone’s smiling when you leave, nothing appears amiss, then the crash comes. Tears, irritability, withdrawal, sometimes even the complete shutdown the next day….
“I Don’t Want Friends”: When Your Homeschooler Prefers Solitude
She sat across from me, eyes warily scanning her child curled up with a book, alone again. “He says he doesn’t want friends,” she whispered. Behind her echoed the silent worries of a thousand homeschool parents—why won’t they join in? Why don’t they crave play dates, lunch tables full of chatter, the cacophony of childhood…
When Friendship Feels Impossible: Supporting Neurodivergent Kids Through Rejection
It’s the aftermath of another playdate gone sideways. Shoes in a pile by the door, silence echoing louder than any tears. You watch your child withdraw, shoulders heavy, replaying every word, every glance that could have meant “not enough.” If you’re parenting a neurodivergent child—especially one who is homeschooled—you know this heartbreak. Rejection can linger…
Beyond Be Yourself: Social Scripts That Build Connection for Neurodivergent Kids
“So… what do I do if my child freezes when someone asks, ‘Hey, do you want to play?’ Or if my kid never quite knows how to jump into a group at the playground, and the phrase ‘Just be yourself’ seems more like a social death sentence than sage advice?” Let’s be honest: supporting our…
When Homeschool Co-Ops Don’t Work: Friendship Strategies for Neurodivergent Kids
You know the scene—the co-op is buzzing with chatter, your child sits off to the side, hands clenched tight, asking when you’ll leave. Or maybe you’re in the car afterward, replaying the day and wondering, “Why does this feel impossible?” You’ve read all the advice about helping neurodivergent kids find their people, and yet… it’s…
When Bedtime Becomes a Battleground
It’s the end of the day, you’re exhausted, and all you want is a little peace and quiet. Instead, your child is up, asking questions, bouncing around the house, or suddenly recalling every single thing they’ve ever wanted to discuss—right when the house should be winding down. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not…