A big question for parents is what skills are needed for our children to grow up to be happy and productive adults? I’m sure we all have some idea, and happiness can be pretty subjective; some people can find happiness in something that others can’t. But there are lots of different conflicting pieces of information out there. Schools may teach one thing, whereas society may change other things. Plus, our children are all different, and a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t always the best thing to do either. However, there are some skills that all children do need to learn to some degree, in order to make their life a happy and successful one, in whatever way they see fit. Here are some of them; how can we teach these to our children?
Focus and Self-Control
If our children can have focus and self-control, then it can help them a lot in their life. It can help them to be happier, as they can be in control of their own decisions, as well as help in schooling and in their careers. You only have to read something like how to become a productive student, to see that a lack of focus and self-control can really have an impact on our children. They will have less drive and motivation if it doesn’t come from within. So these are important skills for our children to learn.
Communicating
Being able to communicate well, whether in person or online, via email or text message, is really important for all aspects of life. This isn’t to say that our children have to be the life and soul of the party and love to speak in public. What it means is being able to communicate their feelings and thoughts clearly and concisely, without getting muddled or lacking confidence. Some of this can be taught through school. But a lot of the time it is down to them being happy and confident with who they are, so that they can be confident with what they are saying and how they say it.
Taking Perspective
Being able to see things in perspective is a really important skill for anyone that wants to be happy in life. When you can see the bigger picture and understand things as they really are, then it can lead to a much more positive outlook on life, as you’re not focused on the negative all of the time. So as part of our parenting, we shouldn’t dismiss our children’s feelings, but we should have a focus on teaching them about perspective.
Critical Thinking
Being able to practice critical thinking is the objective analysis of facts that they will have before them, to form a judgment. It can be quite complex, and a real skill to master. But if we can teach our children to take facts and then analyse them to form a perspective or outcome, then it can help them in all walks of life, as well as to problem solve and to apply that process in their learning at school.
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