5 Things You Can Do to Prepare Your Child for the Future
Parenting is hard.
Every parent lives with the fear that they've somehow really dropped the ball, that they're instilling their kids with the wrong values or weird neuroses, so just know that if you ever doubt yourself as a parent, you're not alone.
Only bad parents feel like they're doing everything just right.
Good parents are pretty critical of themselves and not afraid to ask for advice now and then.
Here are 5 things you can do to prepare your child for the future.
Give them Room to Make Mistakes Some parents micromanage their children's lives, wanting to know exactly where they are at all hours of the day, telling them what they can and can't eat, who they can hang out with and so on.
The end result of this style of parenting is an adult who is helpless without the guidance of their parents.
Boundaries are important, but mistakes are how we learn.
A child who goes to college having never suffered a broken bone, for instance, is a child who's never learned how fragile his or her body really is.
Mistakes are what makes us strong, smart adults.
Teach in Spirit, if Not to the Letter Your kids are going to grow up in a world very different from the one we know.
It's important to teach in terms of core values rather than specifics.
The advice we give our kids may not always be relevant, but the core values and ethics we teach are eternal.
Teach Basic Life Skills A lot of kids get out into the real world not knowing how to cook, not knowing how to take care of a home or even walk a dog.
It's important to make kids a part of the whole "home economics" process.
Giving them an allowance teaches them money management.
Having them help cook teaches them to cook for themselves.
Basic life skills are too often neglected.
Encourage them to Develop their Unique Skills There's no point pushing artsy kids into sports or athletic kids into art.
Let each child pursue their own ambitions as children and they'll pursue their own ambitions as adults.
It's important to accept children for who they are, not who parents want them to be, and that means encouraging whatever path they might want to take in life, whether or not it's what you would have chosen for them.
Issue Responsibilities Giving set, rigid chores works for some families, others only insist that the kids help out.
In any event, making the kids responsible in part for their own well-being and their home is a good way to prepare them for the responsibilities of adulthood.
Every parent lives with the fear that they've somehow really dropped the ball, that they're instilling their kids with the wrong values or weird neuroses, so just know that if you ever doubt yourself as a parent, you're not alone.
Only bad parents feel like they're doing everything just right.
Good parents are pretty critical of themselves and not afraid to ask for advice now and then.
Here are 5 things you can do to prepare your child for the future.
Give them Room to Make Mistakes Some parents micromanage their children's lives, wanting to know exactly where they are at all hours of the day, telling them what they can and can't eat, who they can hang out with and so on.
The end result of this style of parenting is an adult who is helpless without the guidance of their parents.
Boundaries are important, but mistakes are how we learn.
A child who goes to college having never suffered a broken bone, for instance, is a child who's never learned how fragile his or her body really is.
Mistakes are what makes us strong, smart adults.
Teach in Spirit, if Not to the Letter Your kids are going to grow up in a world very different from the one we know.
It's important to teach in terms of core values rather than specifics.
The advice we give our kids may not always be relevant, but the core values and ethics we teach are eternal.
Teach Basic Life Skills A lot of kids get out into the real world not knowing how to cook, not knowing how to take care of a home or even walk a dog.
It's important to make kids a part of the whole "home economics" process.
Giving them an allowance teaches them money management.
Having them help cook teaches them to cook for themselves.
Basic life skills are too often neglected.
Encourage them to Develop their Unique Skills There's no point pushing artsy kids into sports or athletic kids into art.
Let each child pursue their own ambitions as children and they'll pursue their own ambitions as adults.
It's important to accept children for who they are, not who parents want them to be, and that means encouraging whatever path they might want to take in life, whether or not it's what you would have chosen for them.
Issue Responsibilities Giving set, rigid chores works for some families, others only insist that the kids help out.
In any event, making the kids responsible in part for their own well-being and their home is a good way to prepare them for the responsibilities of adulthood.
