Parents have many jobs: to feed, dress, bathe and love their kids (even that last one is not exactly a job, but more the biggest pleasure in the world). However, one of the most important responsibilities you have as a parent is to ensure your child is ready for the wonders of the world and the problems of adulthood when they won’t be able to rely on you anymore. So how do you properly prepare your child for being an adult?
Let them make mistakes
It’s crucial to protect your children from danger, but that doesn’t involve keeping them in isolation. It’s very useful for children and teens to do dangerous things in a careful manner—this is where the best lessons appear. Let kids make mistakes and they will learn valuable things from them. Simple mistakes like not studying for a test and getting an F at elementary school can prevent more serious mistakes like not preparing for finals. Failures in college and work have serious consequences that can affect finances, relationships, and many other things in life. Through smaller mistakes, kids learn to avoid bigger mistakes and improve their problem-solving skills, so why would you want to prevent that!
By making mistakes, we grow and learn. We learn that our actions have consequences, that success comes from hard work, that not all relationships are meant to be, and that good things require patience and investment of time, effort, and money.
Encourage them to face their fears
Parents tend to rush to every opportunity to save their kids from any shadow of danger. We hate seeing our kids scared and thinking about what fear does to their brains and bodies. But no matter how much you try to shield them, your kids will develop certain fears, so whenever you get the chance, encourage them to face their fears and try to overcome them sooner than later. Of course, there should be no pressure involved to prevent any trauma, phobia or PTSD from developing. And these fears can be quite small and insignificant such as shying away from calling the game shop and asking about certain titles. Once they see that they can solve their problems alone in two minutes and a few words, many new opportunities will open up for them.
Help them de-stress
Many parents, and adults in general, think that children and teens have nothing to stress about. However, with school, dramatic friendships and relationships, money issues, social media pressure, etc. kids have so many things that bother them. In order to prepare them for much more stress that awaits them when they grow up completely, one of the best things you can do for your kid is to teach them how to relieve stress. Self-care is very important and mental health should be just as important as physical health. Teach them to de-stress through music, physical activity, and hobbies. You can also talk about what kind of support they have at their disposal, such as therapists, psychologists, advisors, and peer support groups. Seek your parenting advice on touchy subjects and kid/adult transition from true experts, so you can give your kids the best advice. Getting mental health help, as well as parenting help, shouldn’t be a taboo in the 21st century.
Help them with finance lessons
As parents, we want our kids to have whatever they want, so we often spend money irresponsibly on the kids’ wants. However, a more valuable thing you can give to your child is knowledge about finances. Of course, don’t expect your kid to be a tiny accountant but they should certainly know a few lessons about money, credit, savings, and borrowing. Create various opportunities for your kids to earn money through their work (doing small chores, helping you with errands and tasks, etc.) and talk openly about earning, spending, and saving.
Teach them essential life skills
Schools do things that most parents at home can’t, such as teach kids about math, physics, language, etc. Book knowledge is very important for kids because grades usually steer higher education which is crucial for a successful job search and a good salary. However, what schools don’t teach is certain life skills that are equally as important. For instance, your kids will have nowhere but at home to learn about taxes, planning and scheduling, cooking, minor home repairs, and home maintenance. These skills will prepare your kid for independent living. Unless you want your kid to call a repairman for every broken bulb and an accountant for every tax season, it’s crucial for you to teach them these skills.
Teaching your kids about adulthood might be hard and even a bit sad (prepare for some heavy nostalgia for the early years of your kids’ lives) but it’s a crucial task for you as a parent. Take it seriously and your kids will be super grateful in the future.
Author’s Bio: Eve Anderson is a marketing specialist turned blogger. Interested in sports and exciting travel destinations. Love to share content that can inform people.
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