As a parent, you need to take care of your children. That’s your job. But part of that process means getting your children to the point where they don’t need your care! Paradoxical as it may sound, it is, in fact, the ultimate aim of parenting. Everything we do as parents works towards our kids being able to be self-sufficient. And the earlier kids start learning self-reliance, as well as self-discipline, the better.
Part of this involves teaching your children a bunch of skills, as well as building them up to the task of self-reliance from a psychological standpoint. Teaching your children essential skills helps boost their confidence. In the long-term, the benefits of teaching your children some of the stuff we’re going to look at in this article will be felt all the way into adulthood. Healthy habits and mindsets will be developed. When the importance of these things are highlighted early on, the weight of those things will be felt throughout their lives.
Helping others
It’s important to encourage kindness and a sense of altruism in kids. Appreciation and generosity are vital in our society, and the more parents are highlighting these things to their kids, the better off everyone is going to be. One of the best ways to do this is to lead by both example and joint action. Doing volunteer work with your child, which you can read more about at Parents.com, is one of the best ways to do this. Getting them to help out with decluttering the home and donating items to charity is also a great idea.
You should also work together with your child to brainstorm ways in which you can both help others. Getting them to come up with the necessary ideas is a great way of getting them to think actively about being kind to others, rather than passively taking part in helpful activities. You should also share inspiring stories with your children about those who help others. Kids thrive off of role models, so make sure you give them some kind ones!
Getting Back Up
I learned this the hard way. Sports day was looming as my children and I had practiced standing starts, finish line dips, the importance of not looking around and concentrating on the task at hand. We thought we were prepared for the stresses of the day, but when my daughter fell after a few metres and burst into tears, I realised that I had missed the most important lesson of all. Strength is not in the practicing, but the ability to get back up after falling. Teaching your child to get up after a fall shows the world more strength of character that any race or event.
Independence
Learning to be independent is a staged process. One way that promotes independence is camping. camping is a fantastic way of bringing together multiple skills into one package. You can get hands-on with many practical skills. The ability to set up a tent, for example, is certainly an underrated skill. Resources like MyKenaiRiverGuide.com help highlight another popular camping activity: fishing. This is another underrated skill, and one the rewards a lot of patience! Campfires, too, help teach kids about the essentials of fire safety.
But there are other, more metaphysical lessons to be learned when you take your children camping. Camping can help bring into stark light the effects that we have on our planet. And being without a lot of modern household luxuries will help kids appreciate those things a little more!
Trying New Things
A fussy eater, a nervous traveler or a scared sportsman can be the source of so much worry and pain throughout childhood.By instilling the importance of trying things at an early age you free yourself up in later life. Fussy eaters make meal times, parties, restaurants and holidays more stressful than they need to be. Similarly, going to theme parks, water parks or tourist attractions only to queue for hours and then have your child bail, is soul destroying. By encouraging a ‘try everything’ approach you can enjoy much more situations without the worry of your child being unhappy.
Study
Good study habits are essential throughout your life, and getting that importance drilled in at an early age is essential. Such habits won’t just help them excel at school now as well as further education in the future; it will also help them concentrate and take in useful information way into adulthood.
Get them to separate “study” from “homework”. Studying is more specific, sustained, academic. Homework is only part of the studying process. You should set aside a few sessions of studying with your kid every a week. Mic.com has a great article highlighting the importance of books in this learning process. Make sure you review what they’ve learned at school today with them, and make sure to teach them how to use online learning resources correctly!
Money
We always seem to be in some sort of financial crisis. This has got a lot of people wondering if all of this could have been avoided if more of use were actually taught money management early enough. After all, it’s one of an essential part of everyone’s life, and yet the majority of us don’t seem to be nearly as adept at it as we need to be. Perhaps we should have been taught about saving, budgeting, and general personal and fiscal responsibility from a young age.
Some would argue money management is too complex for a child to get to grips with. But we’re not talking about handing your kid a college-level economic or financial textbook and letting them get on with it. If they have any pocket money, then you can start teaching them basic lessons that will really stick with them. RSBAdviceCentre.com has some advice about making budgets with your kids. Teach them about the joy of saving money early!