We're so focused on getting kids ready for college, but we're not preparing them for life. Dowdle, Hillari. "Bring Back Home Ec!." Cooking Light. 2012: n. page. Print.
Boy did this quote strike a chord with me the second I read it. Everything in me resonated a loud "yes!" We have done, are doing, our kids a great disservice We have focused too much on intellectual education and neglected life education. It doesn't matter how much education one has if they cannot perform the basic functions of life such as: laundry, cooking a few simple meals, knowing how to pay bills, cleaning a toilet, just to name a few. Our kids deserve more and better than handing them the pressure of a 4.0 GPA and all the electronics they want. There's nothing wrong with the 4.0 GPA but if it means they have no idea how to function in the practicals of life then we haven't done them any favors. There's nothing wrong with electronics per se but if it means our kids don't learn how to make eye contact and hold verbal conversations and use proper grammar then we haven't done them any favors. There's more to life than those things and it's up to us, their parents, to teach them.
Yes, we want our kids to get good educations but what I think we should want for them more is to be socially developed, well-rounded young people who are educated in all areas of life. They will thank us for it later in life as will their future spouses, bosses, and circles of influence.
Here are several different articles that I have found helpful in helping me know what I should/could be teaching my kids to do:
Stop Doing Stuff For Your Kids!
Life Skills Ages 2-18
And check out my Pinterest board on Parenting/Family Life for other great tips and ideas I have found!
Boy did this quote strike a chord with me the second I read it. Everything in me resonated a loud "yes!" We have done, are doing, our kids a great disservice We have focused too much on intellectual education and neglected life education. It doesn't matter how much education one has if they cannot perform the basic functions of life such as: laundry, cooking a few simple meals, knowing how to pay bills, cleaning a toilet, just to name a few. Our kids deserve more and better than handing them the pressure of a 4.0 GPA and all the electronics they want. There's nothing wrong with the 4.0 GPA but if it means they have no idea how to function in the practicals of life then we haven't done them any favors. There's nothing wrong with electronics per se but if it means our kids don't learn how to make eye contact and hold verbal conversations and use proper grammar then we haven't done them any favors. There's more to life than those things and it's up to us, their parents, to teach them.
Yes, we want our kids to get good educations but what I think we should want for them more is to be socially developed, well-rounded young people who are educated in all areas of life. They will thank us for it later in life as will their future spouses, bosses, and circles of influence.
Here are several different articles that I have found helpful in helping me know what I should/could be teaching my kids to do:
Stop Doing Stuff For Your Kids!
Life Skills Ages 2-18
And check out my Pinterest board on Parenting/Family Life for other great tips and ideas I have found!
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