Episode 6: Building Life Skills for Kids of Solo Parents with Kevin Hellon Jr.

Raising kids is one thing. Raising a kid to become an adult is another. On this episode of The Solo Parent Podcast, we’re getting some wisdom from Kevin Hellon, Jr., Founder and CEO of Life Skills Preparatory (https://lifeskillsprep.com/), online courses to help young adults learn the lessons they need to learn in order to thrive in the world. Kevin wears other hats too: he is Founder and CEO of The Hellon Corp, and Offstream Entertainment in L.A.

Kevin knows what he’s talking about. He’s raised a son who works with him at Offstream Entertainment, and he is a devoted dad to a smart preteen girl. He also homeschooled his son, while he was working full time, encouraging his son to pursue the natural skills and interests he noticed in him. It worked.

Kevin was an integral part in the founding and development of Solo Parent Magazine, and he was raised by a Solo Dad himself. He’s been in law enforcement, he’s developed major websites, owned several successful businesses, and has counseled many business owners as they work towards realizing their dreams.

In this episode, Kevin and I talk about the importance of raising kids who can be themselves in the world.

In this episode, we talk about…

[3:39] Kevin’s inspiration behind Life Skills Preparatory

Schools are phenomenal, but there are gaps that parents have to step up and fill. There are also areas, however, in which parents are still growing and learning as well. Parents are navigating life just as their children are navigating life.

Kevin’s goal was to put together an online program that allows kids to fill those gaps. Kevin homeschooled his son, and when he graduated at 16 he had to jump right into life. There were certain things he had to learn – how to build credit, what to do if he was pulled over by a police officer, what to do if he got jury duty, what it looked like to register with the draft, and more. There were so many things that Kevin knew were important for his son to learn, and he realized that there were a lot of people out there who don’t learn those things coming out of high school. Because of that, he decided to put together a thorough program that encompasses over a hundred videos to teach kids the proper life skills to help them navigate through life.

[6:18] The decision to homeschool

His son attended public school, but Kevin started looking into the home study program in order to provide what he needed. It provided a lot of flexibility, and he could knock school out in a shorter amount of time so he could dedicate the rest of his time to building his craft: music. Kevin’s son is now a high-end music producer, doing music for films, TV shows, and movie trailers.

Since his son didn’t attend a public high school, Kevin knew it was especially important that he made sure his son learned life skills. He wanted his son to be able to handle whatever his next step was, whether it was college or entrepreneurship.

[10:12] Teaching your kids how to “adult”

As parents, we want to provide our children with skill sets that make life easier as they grow up and move out of the house. Kevin wanted to put together a program that young adults could follow. The videos in his program are written by experts to make sure his students gain the knowledge they need.

[12:36] How Kevin learned to start a business

Kevin describes learning to start a business as “trial and error”. He recommends bringing on people that can guide you. If you can’t do that, then he also suggests reading books or watching videos that break down exactly what you need to learn.

[14:36] Kevin’s advice to parents of young adults to help their kids become more independent

First and foremost, Kevin suggests educating yourself as a parent. That puts you in a better position to give back to your kids. Education doesn’t just mean college, but it means gaining knowledge about life in general. For example, if your kid has aspirations to start a business, you can pick up a book and learn about it. You don’t have to become an expert, but you can get some foundation and help guide them in the right direction.

[19:37] Embracing your children’s interests

Kevin points out that it’s not always about what we want our children’s lives to be. When his son first started aspiring toward a music career, he wanted to get into heavy metal. Kevin was not a heavy metal fan and didn’t know anything about it, so he learned about it. He also spoke with his son about why he loved it.

Embracing what your kids love to do and getting a better understanding of why they love it is important. If we tell them not to do something they enjoy, we aren’t allowing them to live their lives. You never know. It could become something phenomenal in a space that you didn’t expect them to be in.

[28:05] The recommended age range for Life Skills Preparatory

Kevin suggests that the videos are appropriate for 16-year-olds plus. He has had some people in their thirties and older that watch certain videos. Kevin shared that when he got his first jury duty notice, he went in and watched the video just to make sure he was handling everything correctly.

Check out Life Skills Preparatory: https://www.lifeskillsprep.com