How Do You Prepare Your Child for Adulthood?
The inevitable will come when our little ones are all grown up and ready to be on their own. What experiences, knowledge and skill sets do you hope to provide and teach to your children before they leave the nest so that they can lead productive, happy lives?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane R, Caitlen R-B on -
Make them get a job. Help them open a bank account and instruct them how to deposit $X each pay period into that account for something - college, a car, whatever. This was our house rule and all of the kids went on to work, volunteer, save, spend responsibly, give to charity, complete their college education and are now productive, employed and happy.
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Permalink Reply by Linda Miles on
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I prepared my children for adulthood by giving them choices (tailored around what I knew was best for them when they were very young) and discussing the possible consequences of each choice then let them decide. (They did NOT have a choice over safety issues.)
Once the choice was made, they lived with the consequences. Most of the time the choices were good but occasionally they'd choose an action that lead to an unpleasant consequence with which they dealt. My daughter recently told me that this was the single most important parenting decision I'd made as far as she was concerned. She believes that her choice making prepared her to be a thoughtful responsible adult. (She's 22 and an honors student at Kent State University.)
Children need to feel that they're in charge sometimes. Even though we as parents are the ones who are truly in charge children need to experience, with lots of love and guidance, making their own decisions and understanding that each decision has a consequence. Sometimes good-sometimes not very pleasant. Empowering them to be thoughtful adults is a great gift.
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Permalink Reply by ECHOage on -
I just read a great article about this very subject in my newspaper this morning. Here is what I read: give your kids challenges suited to their age, if they fail (ie flat tire or bounced cheque) that is okay, we all learn from our mistakes. Make sure you give them responsibilities around the house like cooking, laundry and doing the dishes. Let them fill out their own forms for the things the want (universities, jobs,) etc., they need to be able to take responsibility for themselves and if they never get the opportunity before they leave home, there is more chance they'll struggle when they leave home.
Roz
www.echoage.com
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Permalink Reply by arianne on
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1. When they are given choices give them the freedom to decide- and as a parent give them the pros and cons but ultimately make them decide for themselves.
2. Mistakes are a part of the learning process- the more mistakes you make the better you get at doing something. It takes practice to hone one's skills. so if they did not get the math or the algebra- review the steps again.
3. In life you meet all sorts of people- you cannot change them- but you can control and change your mindset about them.
4. Teach them early about task management and how to schedule their time. there is fun things to do and the not so fun things so getting to manage it well is the key.
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