As parents, we want to protect them, help them and cultivate them into happy humans. Unfortunately, being overprotective has the opposite effect, leaving our teens dependent and unready for adulthood. If you wish to turn the tables, start training your teenagers by teaching them these simple life skills.
- Manage Money
They may still be too young to invest in stocks and bonds, but your teenager should already have his own savings account, knows how to check his balance, and when necessary write a check to cover cost of school trips, sporting equipment or classes your teenager wishes to join. A healthy respect for money at an early age will help your teen in the future.
- Cook a Meal
While most days you’re going to prepare their meals, you also want them to be able to whip up something good for themselves. When an emergency happens, say grandma gets sick and you need to look after her, you want your freshman in high school to be able to pack his own lunch and make his dinner when he gets home.
- Do His Own Laundry
When teaching kids basic household chores, be patient about it. As much as possible avoid feeling grumpy and make them feel bad about not what to do. If they don’t know how to do it yet, it’s because they were not taught how to do so. Instead of scolding them for doing it wrong, show them and guide them how to do it to make sure they got it right.
- Go Grocery Shopping
Has your teen ever noticed those labels hanging from the ceiling or every aisle in the grocery store? If so, then use it to your advantage by letting them go grocery shopping without you. Send them off with a list of five or six things to pick up.
- Mind Their Manners
While etiquette standards change, basic courtesy and politeness never gets old. Teach your teenager to take off his hat when in a restaurant. Get him to call his grandparents to thank them for the birthday gift. Make him understand that his behaviour around his friends may not be appropriate at work. Apart from making sure he learns the basic chores, every parent should also make the effort to teach their kids of basic social skills.
The key to a happy life is to sustain two important life skills—willingness to learn new things and unlearn the things that are no longer useful. While teaching life skills to teenagers aren’t easy, but if you, you’ll give justice to your job as a parent.
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