If you are a parent to a teen then you may have already faced many trials and tribulations in their life. Being a parent is never easy and there is no manual that tells you what to do along the way. However, if you have made it to the teenage years then you have done a fantastic job already. If they are just deciding whether to go to college or head out into the big business world, you need to know they are prepared for everything.
Check out the article below to find out more on preparing your teen to take on the world.
Teach Life Skills
One of the best skills you can teach your teen is life skills. This means knowing how to cook, clean, and generally look after themselves. Knowing when they need to shower and how to shower and wash themselves is a vital skill. Many teenagers, especially boys can be incredibly lazy when it comes to personal hygiene. Small reminders here and there to shower or bathe every day and to use deodorant can really make the world of difference.
Children in the kitchen can sometimes be irritating and annoying, however, how else are they going to learn how to cook? Having basic kitchen knowledge could mean the difference between your teen using microwave meals or being able to cook from scratch. Get them in the kitchen, show them how to chop fruit, veg, and meat. They will honestly thank you later when they are needing to think of meals to eat.
Also Teach Basic Maintenance
As well as knowing how to cook and stay clean, they should also know basic DIY skills. Most boys will grow up watching relatives carry out various tasks around the house, however, girls should also learn these types of skills as well. If you are wanting them to foster independence then they will need to know how to hang photos on the wall or how to fill a hole in the wall. Changing lightbulbs is something that they will often have to do, if they aren’t sure how to do it then they could end up living in darkness.
Before they venture off to face the world, provide them with some basic tools that they might need for DIY jobs. This could be screwdrivers, drills, stanley blade, or various nails. The great thing about doing DIY these days is that there are numerous videos online that your kids can follow along to.
Show Them How To Manage Money
There is a vital skill that many children aren’t learning these days, and that’s the value of money. It is much harder these days to teach children about money as most transactions are contactless or on a physical card. There is no cash to put in front of your child and ask them how much change they would get from a twenty for instance. While you could get cash out just to do this, a lot of parents don’t see the point as they will just use a card anyway. The issues arise when children assume there is a never ending supply of money on these cards, which does happen. ‘Mummy doesn’t have any money’ and the child says ‘yes you do, just use your card’.
If you are wanting to teach your child the value of money then you could get them their own bank card. This will be topped up with any money they earn, such as chore money or pocket money. This will give them a basic understanding of how much they have and how much they have left after various purchases.
Allow Them To Socialize
Children should always be allowed to socialize with children their own age, this starts from when they are very very young. Children tend to be wrapped in cotton wool these days due to the age we live in. When you have very little children, try and take them to baby clubs so they learn how to interact with other children. They will learn how to act and how to share with others, it is also important they learn how to act around adults.
As they get older, it can be tricky keeping on top of their behavior. For instance, they could start swearing or answering back. It is best to keep on top of this, and nip any negative behaviour in the bud before it escalates.
Help Them Find A College
Now, they might come to you at some point and enquire about studying at college or university. You should ensure you listen to this as they simply want to try and better themselves by heading in the right direction with their career choices. Speak with them about the type of course they need to do, where they are going to study, and how much each course will cost.
If you don’t have a college fund for your children then you could look at something like ascent funding. This is a college loan that won’t cost you or your teen a small fortune to pay back. They can cover any amount of your teen’s college course, up to 100% of the fees.
Encourage Work Experience
Finally, if your teen doesn’t yet know what they want to do when they graduate college then you could encourage them to do some work experience. This will give them a better idea of who they are and what they want to do. Work experience can be undertaken anywhere, from a doctor’s surgery to a veterinary practice.
Speak to them about any dreams or aspirations they have, this will help you suggest different ideas they might be interested in. If your teen isn’t interested in anything that you suggest then they might need some more time to think about it.
We do hope you found some useful advice, tips, and tricks in this article. Handling your teens’ futures can be a big responsibility. You want to make sure they have all the necessary skills and knowledge to face the big wide world. All you can do is try your best to be a great parent, they will always appreciate your hard work and efforts.
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