7 Things Parents Need To Teach Their Children Before They Turn 13
May 16, 2018 by apost team
For the process of parenting, there is no “how-to” manual. One parenting style may not suit all children and there is no “one-size-fits-all” method in order to ensure a child’s success. However, a parent’s goal during their child’s adolescence should be to provide them with enough knowledge to one day become independent. Your job as a parent is to instill qualities in your child that will set them up to have a successful life on their own. These are the most important things to teach your child before they enter their teenage years of independence.
1. Good Financial Judgment
It is extremely important to teach your children about money. Whether it be how to earn money through hard work, how to budget and save, or how to invest it, exercising good financial judgment is essential to everyday life. Using realistic scenarios, such as earning money through chores or teaching them to save for what they want can help them learn about finances. Teach your children that money is limited, has value and needs to be properly used.
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2. Punctuality
If your child is unable to wake up for school without utilizing you or their other parent as a human alarm clock, it might be time to teach them the importance of proper time management. Instructing them how to be responsible for how they spread their minutes and teaching them the necessity of punctuality is mandatory for their transition to adulthood.
3. Respect
Teenagers interact with an abundance of different kinds of people every single day. Whether older than them, from a different culture or someone in a position of power, it is important to instill respect and courtesy in your children for all kinds of people so they know how to treat others. The primary, as well as the best example, can come from parents respecting the child themselves.
4. Proper Hygiene
Changes in body chemistry as children grow up can be alarming to them. Parents need to provide guidance on how to take care of personal hygiene to their children. As they become adults, their biology will adapt and you need to advise them about body health and sexuality in order to teach them how to properly deal with these feelings and changes.
5. Housework
Because most teenagers will cringe at the thought of having to clean, it important to instill the process that keeps a household running into children beginning at a young age. Cooking easy meals and basic cleaning methods are the foundation for furthering these necessary skills as an adult.
6. Academic Success
It is important that parents are supportive of their child’s schoolwork. This doesn’t mean doing their homework for them but always helping when they have a question as well as maintaining the importance of studying hard and receiving good grades. Reinforce positive behaviors related to them doing their schoolwork.
7. Navigation
Before learning how to drive, children should be taught how to navigate their way around their hometown. You should start with teaching them how to get to school and back home. In emergencies and to lessen the risks of getting lost, they should be taught how to get around their neighborhood.
Entering teenage years can be overwhelming for children. When you teach your children these 7 critical skills, you can help the transition into adulthood be smoother and less stressful. It is the job of a parent to prepare their children for adulthood and independence.
What else do you think should children be taught before they turn 13?