As dads, one of the things we’re most worried about is our kids getting into trouble. It’s falling into the wrong crowd, not doing so great at school and not being happy. That’s right up their with the big dad-worries. But another major worry – and one we tend to admit less – is our kids not doing awesome things when they become adults.
Every dad wants his son or daughter to become a successful adult. It’s what drives us when we nurture them. The problem is: there is no blueprint, guidebook or recipe for raising successful children. It sucks but it’s the truth. The sucky-truth.
That said, there are certain things we can do as parents to help our kids grow into successful humans, and these are some of them:
- Make Them Do Chores
The reason behind this is simple: if your kid isn’t doing their chores, it means someone else is doing it for them, and that doesn’t benefit anyone in the equation. That doesn’t just mean your child is absolved on doing their chores, it also means they miss out on the valuable lesson of why the work has to be done, how to best do the work and how contribution helps everyone.
- Social Skills Are Everything
It is beyond us to think the education system is still geared toward a bygone time where people left school, got jobs in factories and were made to work like robots. That’s not how life works anymore. As the experts at ej4.com will attest, success in the workplace depends on outstanding teamwork. Life is about collaboration, it’s about helping others, it’s about communicating your way to success, understanding other people’s feelings and resolving issues as a team. All of this comes from good social skills.
- Math Is A Must-Have
There is an argument to say algebra is nonsense and there is a little voice in the back of our mind that mocks the teachers that used to say, “you can’t use a calculator because in real-life you won’t always have one on you” (thank you Apple), but there is no denying that math is still an essential skill to develop. As a researcher by the name of Greg Duncan states, “The paramount importance of early math skills — of beginning school with a knowledge of numbers, number order, and other rudimentary math concepts — is one of the puzzles coming out of the study”. Another thing worse mentioning is that early math development is highly linked to reading abilities too.
- Praise Effort, Don’t Fear Failure
There is an undeniable danger in being scared of failure, something that professional people call a fixed-mindset. Luckily, the growth-mindset challenges this by thriving on the challenge and seeing failure as part of the journey to success, as opposed to evidence of un-intelligence. This is what you need to be reinforcing in your children and the best way to do that is by praising their effort, something that will encourage them to keep growing and learning.