Christmas vacation is quickly approaching and I’m getting excited to spend some quality time with my kids! One of my goals over the break is to intentionally work together in teaching them something new. After recently talking with some college students, I’ve become increasingly aware that many kids are not being taught some of the very basic skills needed to function out in the world by themselves in school or by their parents.
This really has me thinking about what my goals are for my kids when they leave home. There is a lot of time, but when you break that down into weekends and summers (filled with activities) the time that’s left isn’t nearly as much as I’d like it to be.
Here are 10 life skills I believe every child needs to know to succeed before going out into the world. I’m going to be focusing on some of these skills as part of my 2014 goals for my family (and will be working them into the blog as well).
- To love and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
- To love and serve others and the community
- To be able to manage emotions (self-control, anger, adapt to situation, etc)
- To be an independent thinker and a problem solver, but be also be able to compromise
- To be a good listener, deliver forgiveness, persistence, and to be resilient
- To understand the balance of work, family, and recreation
- To have healthy habits (hygiene, eating, goal setting)
- To be able to manage money (budgeting, balancing a checkbook)
- To be able to manage a home (cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc)
- To have basic car knowledge (change a tire, check the oil)
What would you add to the list? This is very basic but I feel it is the foundation to build upon.
Good list! Thanks for linking up with Thrive @ Home Thursday!
This is an excellent list! Thanks so much for linking this up at Anything Goes. 🙂
I once knew a young man who was considering going to college, but said to his Mom, “How could I possibly go away to college? I don’t even know how to boil noodles!”
It is very important that we apprentice our kids to be successful grown ups, rather than just “taking care of them.”
Stopping in from A Wise Woman link up. I love this list; it coincides so well with the goals I have set for teaching my children. There are far too many people out there who leave home and know very few of these things. It is imperative to teach these things well while they are in our care so they leave home prepared. Great list!
I agree, Amy! I have seen so many college students lately who don’t have a clue about how to survive in the real world! Thank you for stopping by! Please come back! 🙂
Great list! My mother-in-law taught me husband to do his own ironing from the age of 12. I admire this so much (and am hugely grateful too!).
Thanks for sharing at Essential Fridays.
Blessings
Mel from Essential Thing Devotions.
Stopping in from Hip Homeschool Moms. Thanks for linking up to our blog hop. You r post was chosen by one of our team members as their favorite! So you were featured on today’s new linkup and we will be pinning your article too! Hope to see you at future hops. Be sure to stop by and get your “I was featured button” on our page!
I’m so excited. Thanks so much!
I loved this post! You were featured at the Hip Homeschool Moms Hop today 🙂
http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/2013/12/hhm-favorite-posts-weeks-linky-121713/
Awesome! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for sharing with Adorned From Above’s Link Party. We love having your join the fun.
Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
http://www.adornedfromabove.com
I love this! My kiddos range from not quite born (any day now!) up through our 21 year old married daughter. When my oldest went off to college she told me she was shocked by how many of her dorm-mates had NO idea how to do even basic laundry…
I try to make sure that the kids have all the basic “life” skills they need before they head out the door. For example, my 17 year old son is going off to college this coming August. He knows how to do laundry, change a diaper, roast a turkey, plan and cook a basic meal, change a tire, check the oil, put together basic furniture/cabinets etc (you know, the kind you get from the store but have to assemble)… and he’s familiar enough with childbirth and breastfeeding and so on to be a good support to any future wife.
I always laugh that I hope my future DILs appreciate how much the boys know about what it takes to run a household!
Great list!
Excellent list! It pays to be intentional in all the things you listed. We have seen the fruits of our intentional teachings to fit our children for living in the world. Thank you for sharing at Monday’s Musings. Blessings.
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