Once again, Twittermoms is inspiring me to blog. It’s funny because this couldn’t have come at a better time. I sound like a broken record but I am expecting my 2nd son next month and something I have thought about extensively since my first son was born, is all the very important lessons he needs to learn before he flies the coop here at home, even if that is 18 years from now.
Yes, I am a firm believer that mom’s (and of course dad’s too) play an integral part in shaping their children’s minds and their future. Of course we can’t control every aspect of our child’s life along the way but we can teach them how to posses some very valuable qualities that I really do personally believe everyone should have.
5 Things Every Kid Should Learn (or – 5 things every parent should teach their kids)
- Please and Thank-you - Most of us as parents try to ingrain these simple words into our children’s minds when they are young. However, you’d be amazed at the amount of people who simple don’t bother. It all starts at home I believe. A simple “please” and especially a “Thank-you” will get you farther in life than you think. I can think of a couple of instances right now in my own life where I took extra special time to be kind to a child and never received a Thank-you. When they’re two or three you expect that but when they’re 10 or 15, it really is inexcuseable.
- Send A Card (with thought) – To me there is nothing more memorable or special as when I receive a card that was thoughtfully chosen just for me. One that directly pertains to the circumstances at hand. Of course Christmas cards can tend to get generic but simply adding a “I love you” “I’m thinking about you” or writing the person’s name in the card that it’s directed to, means a lot. It especially means a lot when you include the first suggestion “THANK-YOU” with a card. In a time of emails and text messages it’s nice to have something to put away in a memory box for your future generations and coming from a child only makes it more special.
- Clean Up After Yourself – I cannot tell you how many men, and some women in my life for that matter, I have met that are incapable of cleaning up after themselves. It’s amazing. They have never done dishes or don’t know how to properly, They leave towels on the bathroom floor, crumbs on the counter, they leave their laundry for someone else to do or simply don’t know how to do it at all. I have seen grown adults over 30 yrs of age that have these problems. It really is amazing and well… I sort of feel that it’s the parent’s fault. If you continuously pick up after your children and teach them no responsibility how will they be happy later in life? The majority of them won’t. We have a 50% divorce rate in this country and in many others. Ever wonder why? Respect others, clean up after yourself. It’s a simple task and if you start teaching it early enough to your children, maybe 20 yrs from now we’ll have a lot more respectful people in this world.
- Perform A Kind Act– It’s one thing to send $20 every month to sponsor a child, it’s another to meet a child or elderly person who needs your help and actually get involved and help them hands on. Some people don’t have time and that’s understandable and I do commend those that sponsor children and support other charities.. but if you just look around in your own neighborhood, at your own school, at work, or at the supermarket I bet you’ll see someone who needs your help. You may notice an old lady trying to load groceries into her car, a busy mom who looks tired, who just needs a quick joke or smile to pick her up, an elderly neighbor who’s lawn needs mowing AND I bet if you look even closer to home you’ll find someone you love who just needs you to visit or even give a phone call. Helping someone in need doesn’t always mean money is involved. Teach your kids to be selfless and proud.
- Have A Great Work Ethic– Unfortunately I know far too many people who don’t fall into this category and it’s a shame. You’ll only get as far as the effort you put in to something. A lot of kids these days grow up to think they don’t have to start at the bottom. Well, everyone (most of us) start at the bottom and we work out butts off until we make it where we want to go. It just takes ambition, motivation and dedication. If you don’t have those things and you don’t have encouragement from your own parents and family it’s hard to get far in life. Encourage your child to work and EARN their money from a young age. Help them open a bank account. Teach them the value of money and that it takes hard work to make it. Teach them not to be lazy but to strive for what they want in life and go for it! Don’t hold your children back by encouraging them to stay at home and do nothing just because YOU need or want them there. Don’t be an enabler once again. Teach them to fly on their own and they’ll come back better than they left.
Good luck on your parenting adventure and here’s to raising wonderful children with wonderful manners!
Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Nanny McPhee Returns blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
