The educational systems do a good job of providing a foundation for students to be successful in their respective careers. However, what your children don’t learn from school is the facts of life. From financial management to self-care, there are so many things that children need to learn before entering the real-world. This is especially true for teens who are in transition from childhood to adulthood.
Everyone has been through something in life that could have been prevented if they had prior comprehension or experience. Seeing as how you want your teens to be outstanding adults that know how to effectively navigate the ups and downs in life, it’s up to you as a parent to educate them on life. While there are a number of lessons you can teach your teen, here is a look at some of the most significant.
Money Management
The amount of debt the average American household has is astronomical. Many adults today are drowning in the likes of student loans, medical, and credit card bills. There’s also the sad fact that most adults don’t have adequate savings (for emergencies and the future). You can help your teenager avoid this financial stress by teaching them how to effectively manage their money. For the future you may even want to teach them how to look into consolidating or refinancing their loans and debt, as it’s more than likely they’ll come to needing the likes of student loans or a mortgage in the future. These sorts of loans are, more often than not, unavoidable.
The teen years are the perfect time to start an allowance system where they receive a designated amount for completing chores around the house. You can show them how to save a portion and how to make effective decisions when spending the rest. Allowing your teens to see you manage your money well with budgeting, savings, and healthy debt is also extremely important.
Drugs and Alcohol
When you discuss drugs and alcohol with your teens, the conversation needs to go beyond the basic don’t do them. It is important that your teens know how drugs and alcohol negatively impact the mind and body. Talk about how quickly it can turn from a fun time to an addiction. Go into detail about what addiction is and how it can be so debilitating that you need drug or alcohol treatment to recover. Discuss some of the various reasons that people abuse substances and how these solutions are temporary and lethal. Your teen should also see you drink responsibly and steer clear of drugs.
Physical and Emotional Health
The sooner you start instilling healthy lifestyle habits in your children the better their lives are. There is an increasing number of people that suffer from conditions ranging from diabetes and cancer to anxiety disorders and depression. Get in front of this by talking to your teen about the importance of maintaining both their physical and mental health. More than talking to them, you should start incorporating better eating and exercise practices in the home such as cooking healthy meals together and working out as a family. You should also make sure you’re taking them to the doctor, dentist, and other medical specialists on an annual basis for preventative measures.
As for emotional health, there is a lot that can impact your mood in a negative way. Teach your teens how to firstly, identify their negative emotions and triggers, and effective ways to cope when under too much pressure. When you’re going through difficult times, it doesn’t hurt to expose yourself so that your teenager can see how you effectively get through trials and tribulations.
Finding Your Passion and Purpose
Now here’s a life lesson that some adults are still struggling with – finding their passion and/or purpose in life. When you have a defined purpose that you’re passionate about, life is a lot easier to navigate. Talk to your teens about the importance of creating a life filled with purpose. Find out what things they’re interested in, teach them to learn where their strengths and talents lie and even help them to create small actionable goals that will help them accomplish their dreams.
You send your kids to school to get an education in basic categories like reading, writing, math, history, and science. Though these are all crucial to advance into careers of their choice, it is not enough education alone for them to lead successful lives. Fill in the gaps as a parent by making sure that you talk with your teenagers about the life lessons discussed above.
