Let them make mistakes. As parents, our natural instinct is to shield our kids from all potential pitfalls. But carefully letting your kids learn a hard lesson from their own mistakes and then talking to them about it after the fact will give them great insight.
Money, money, money. We can agree some of the hardest lessons learned in life are due to the misuse of cold, hard cash. We all need it, all want it, and some of us actually save it. One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is to teach them how to handle money properly. Allow your children to see and learn about the value of your hard-earned cash. Let them see how you go about the process from budgeting to implementation. An ancient proverb says, "Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?"
Pile on the PRAISE. Too often, parents tend to focus on the things our children might need work on. We want to fix their struggles. Yet, we might forget to praise when they get it right, as they so often do. Sound familiar? By praising our children when they do great things, it helps reinforce the desire to make decisions to have similar outcomes.
The friends we keep. If we are only as strong as our weakest link, then teaching your children how to choose friendships is a vitally important task. As important as we like to think we are to our kids, their world revolves around their own social interactions and circles of friends. It is THEM they are listening to, and not us in many circumstances. One sure-fire way to know what direction your child is headed in is to get to know his friends. "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future." A person should expose themselves to many different types of personalities and cultures, and should be open-minded to different thoughts, but the people they keep close to should reflect great values. Teach your child to understand the value of a good friend, and also how to BE a good friend. And this will be a great asset in helping your kids make wise decisions.
Lead by example. "Do as I say, not as I do." That doesn't really work very well. If you aren't making wise decision, then you can't really expect your child to. Use your own faults as an example of how not to be and then promise to do better. Humbling yourself in front of your child and admitting your weakness will actually create closeness between you. And where you have strengths in decision-making skills, teach those to him. The best lessons in life are caught, not taught, by a child's parents.
