Parents often say, “I hope when my child goes off to college or moves out they make the right decisions.” Or “I hope they can take care of themselves.”
What I would say to those parents is- it is the early lessons they learn from us that allow them to succeed in life.
This is not an article coming from an academic but rather a parent that wants the best for her own children and who was a child and has grown into an adult and observed hundreds of others move through these stages with varying degrees of success.
First of all, the truth is that the earlier we start teaching our children important lessons and give them responsibility, the easier it will be to continue those lessons as our children reache their teenage years and approach their twenties.
If we want to raise a child that will be a responsible, productive adult, who can take care of themself, we need to start paying attention to the messages we are giving our children even when they are very young.
Of course, we should put having fun and allowing kids to explore their worlds first, but we should be slowly introducing money management, teamwork, household responsibility, ownership and social cooperation to our children.
Start Teaching Lessons Early
By the time your child is 3 you can already have them help you with easy tasks around the house. When you are doing laundry, allow your child to help you. Let them help carry the clothes or put them in the dryer or help you pour the detergent in the washer. It is fun to help mom at that age and without even saying anything you are starting to lay the foundation for teamwork, cooperation and household responsibility.
