We have all laughed at memes and experiences online on “If only I learned this in school…” We often say that our education system needs to change, we need to teach kids more real-life skills than algebra, and so on. What we don’t focus on is that, it isn’t the sole responsibility of the educational institute to teach things, parents have the same responsibility toward their kids.
Skills like cooking, repairing, and swimming, are all life skills that might not necessarily be vital in life, thanks to modern advancements, but they are some of the basic survival skills that make a person independent and confident to live alone.
Children learn by watching us. Involving them in various healthy activities is a great way to cultivate good habits in them, and teach them things that will help them survive independently. Start doing chores with them so that the tasks become more of a bonding moment between you and your kids. When we do things together with them, instead of asking them to do stuff, they are more accepting of learning the skill that is required to do the task.
You have to learn to be persuasive and influential to push your kids in the right direction; it is more like nudging them in the right direction and then watching them grow. Let them make mistakes, just be there to help them learn. If we don’t teach them basic things, then life will, and life might not be that kind to them.
If you do not introduce your kids to cooking, then they are only going to learn it if it is necessary or they have an interest in it. Because of this, when people move out of their parent’s house, eating healthy and home-cooked meals becomes one of their major struggles.
Repair work and swimming might not seem as important as cooking because they are not basic survival skills that everyone requires, but nevertheless, they are handy skills to have, in case something goes wrong.
No matter how much we love our children, no matter how much we pamper them, they are going to move out as we did. Yes, we want to give them the best, we don’t want them to have to work for things, but they eventually will have to. Their situations CAN and WILL change, and we will be powerless to help it then. Change is an inevitable process, so you need to prepare them for the shift that is bound to happen in their lives.
To make the kids better equipped to deal with the reality of life when they grow up, we need to stop treating them like babies in their impressionable years and start treating them as transitioning adults.
Final Thoughts
Growing up is a combination of learning and getting a lot of things right, but seldom do we realize that what we teach our children is what is going to shape them into independent or dependent adults. Avoiding huge issues tomorrow is worth handling little tantrums today.
