What life skills are you teaching your kids?

CJisinShape

Or, if you don't have any, what life skills do you think are important for kids to learn?

Sophiareed218

My kids are young, but basic stuff everyone should know. How to use the washing machine, how to cook meals ( eventually) and other necessities. Too many parents send their kids off to college not knowing those very basic skills.

Alatariel75

Cooking, laundry, BUDGETING!!, critical thinking, the ability to say "no", bargain hunting, how to change a tyre, basic self sufficiency...

SonicDeathMonkey80

Measure liquids, weigh solids, lift heavy, don't start out too fast

morethenjustmum

Mine are pretty young but the first and most important thing I teach them is a to do stuff for themselves.
Getting dressed, feeding themselves , getting things out of the fridge. It sounds simply but I have too many friends with 8 year olds that are having their homework done for them and getting help putting on pants and wiping their butts.
I am there to help if they need it but I am teaching them not to need it. If that makes sense.
As they get older , cooking cleaning , laundry, all the stuff you need to do on your own as an adult they will have learnt before they are teenagers.

Marbella29660

Honesty....

VCopple

The most important for me right now is to teach him how to eat healthy. My mom never cooked when I was growing up, so we had a ton of instant meals and fast food. She also eats when she is depressed or stressed out. She can eat a whole box of cookies in 2 days. Since my son just turned 2, I am trying to introduce him to healthy food, cook homemade meals, eat leftovers, and teach him that he does not need dessert every day. I don't want my son to have issues with food when he gets older like I did. I also don't want him thinking that he can barely eat lunch and then get a treat later in the afternoon.

FancyPantsFran

How to cook Doing laundry Making a budget and sticking to it...Getting ready to send both my kids to college in the next 2 years. Time and money managment

georgiaTRIs

to be self-sufficient. They can do laundry and fix and easy meal and clean their rooms. They are older and not little but they know how to take care of themselves

HeavierThan_Heaven

I think the most important one I was taught by my mom was keeping positive and having a hard work effort. It sounds stupid but I've been at my job for less then two months and I've been promoted twice already and I think these skills are major reasons why.

emkayelle91

My sons are still young but this is my list of what I absolutely will teach them: How to cook, clean, do laundry, budget money, what to do in emergency situations, how to change a tire, how to speak/write proper English and Spanish, and most importantly I will teach them the importance of honesty and keeping their word.

32sami

The value of spending your own money.

QAPmom

How to treat people and to understand that words and actions hurt. That everyone has feelings. That bedtimes are around the same time everdayy, to see the positive in something everyday.

dnamouse

Honesty....

^^ That.

As well as empathy. Hopefully also confidence and humility. And that hard work pays off in the end.

My kids have been making their own breakfasts since they could pull a small step up to the bench and pour a small container of milk safely onto their cereal. My 7yo easily makes toast, baked beans and even microwaves bacon lol The 11yo makes simple dinners occasionally and bakes with very little help from me (apart from the oven part - she's too short to get the trays out, she has my genes )

They vacuum, clean, look after the cat, take the bin out, make their beds. And they are expected to talk to and treat everyone respectfully.

SwashBlogger

Creative problem-solving and that kindness matters but don't take any crap.

SugarBabyGirl

empathy

Tigg_er

Honesty....

^ This and I would add Compassion and Intergrity !

KBjimAZ

How to play guitar......because chicks dig a guy who can play guitar.......ask his mom.

Tigg_er

empathy

Most definitly .

SwashBlogger

Empathy is largely a natural human emotion. I wouldn't spend a lot of time training it, unless they are sociopathic in which case you're sunk

sw33tp3a11

Empathy, compassion, self worth, loyalty, truthfulness...

I can go on and on. All I can do is guide them.

Soggynode

Tolerance, self reliance, honesty and lot of other things that I'm not sure can be taught or whether I have them to teach. I'm also riding around town with my 15 yr old daughter who just got her learners permit. I'm now trying teach myself stress management.

Tigg_er

Empathy is largely a natural human emotion. I wouldn't spend a lot of time training it, unless they are sociopathic in which case you're sunk

Yea, Don't know if you could train it anyway, just try to get them to understand it. There seems to be quite a few of the human race who have forgotten what it is.

Tigg_er

Tolerance, self reliance, honesty and lot of other things that I'm not sure can be taught or whether I have them to teach. I'm also riding around town with my 15 yr old daughter who just got her learners permit. I'm now trying teach myself stress management.

:laugh: :laugh:

_SantaClause

The proper way to MFP

LadyRN76

Respect for yourself and others; how to think on their own and form their own opinions and stand up for their beliefs when they are different from the "status quo".

How to do laundry, cook without a box, change a tire and the oil in the car - things that are lost in today's world. Be independent!!!

PrizePopple

Today specifically was a conversation with my 7 year old that no one can put their hands on her or hurt her in any way shape or form - physically or emotionally. She was pushed down on the playground and hurt, and failed to inform anyone. I am going to go into class with her tomorrow to ensure she talks to her teacher. She doesn't like others getting into trouble, but I explained that she cannot let it slide, because next time someone else could get very hurt.

fitfreakymom

How to be a good person, not judge others and to help people and animals in need, basic cooking, personal hygiene and how to pick up after herself which at this point is almost a joke lol considering she is a teen.
oh and that if she wants something she can buy it herself or if we get it for her she needs to pay back the bank call mom lol.

mccindy72

My boys are grown, but when they were little I taught respect and to be polite, to be patient and to share. When they got a little older I taught them to pick up after themselves and to take turns. As young teenagers I taught them how to clean the house, do dishes and their own laundry and how to cook. Then I taught them how to balance a checkbook, manage a budget and handle a credit card. Along the way, by example, they learned how to manage a long-term relationship.

NancyN795

Mine is grown (25 now), but one skill I taught him much earlier than most kids was fixing his lunch. He started helping pack his lunch for school when he was in Kindergarten and was doing it himself, with supervision, in 1st grade. He was astounded when he found out (in about 3rd grade) that "some" kids' mothers packed their lunches. (He attended a private Montessori school that had no lunch service - so everyone brought their lunches every day.) When he mentioned this to me I, very casually, asked him if he wished I packed his lunch for him and the answer was an emphatic "NO!" He had noticed that a lot of times, the other kids didn't like what their moms had packed. He had a certain amount of choice when he made his own.

Mind, you, he never actually took to cooking, despite my efforts to encourage a basic level of skill. These days he has almost no need. He gets free breakfast and lunch at work and often has dinner with friends, so I think he stocks very little in his kitchen.

Also, teach laundry, doing dishes, basic cleaning, etc., starting young by doing the the work along side them. Once he was somewhat competent, I would often read to him while he worked rather than working with him. (He's mildly dyslexic and reading to him well into his later elementary years was a way to encourage a love of books before we'd found proper therapy for him.)

cindy26ae

I have toddlers but definitely teach them to be honest, to apologize when they have been mean, to share (that is a constant struggle lol), and manners are a big one. I also definitely try to teach them that their bodies are their own and that whole big deal. And for sure responsibility and independence to an extent of course, definitely don't expect them to be mini adults at their age.