11. Cooking
Contrary to popular belief being an excellent cook is something that anyone can do. And pretty much, without fail all of the good cooks I know had parents that fostered the love of cooking in their children.
So, while it’s never too late to learn to cook, the time to start this life building exercise is now. It happens to be an amazing way to bond with your children and to teach them valuable lessons too!
12. Playing an Instrument
Learning an instrument can be extremely rewarding and can help develop a love for the arts. It also teaches patience and discipline. Not all children will have the skills to be great at the instrument they choose, but learning to play has a value all to its own.
A wise man once said: If you can play an instrument, you will never be truly alone.
13. Survival Skills
No the zombie apocalypse isn’t coming anytime soon. However, I assure you that knowing how to start a fire, what plants to eat or not eat and a basic understanding of direction is going to be a million times more valuable than passing level 131 on Candy Crush.
Your kids need to know how to act in an emergency and how to stay calm and work through the problem should they end up in a survival situation.
14. Golf
Learning to golf may seem like a strange inclusion on this list, but it has many positive impacts on the lives of children. It teaches honesty, integrity, hard work, patience and manners.
It is also the universal sport of business. There is little doubt that business deals, strategic partnerships and countless networking opportunities play out upon the links.
15. Financial Responsibility
Teaching your child how to budget, how to balance a check book and why it’s important to save for a rainy day are essential skills that every child needs.
In today’s world where credit cards show up in the mail for children and impulse buys are just mouse clicks away, it is so easy to dig a financial hole at an early age.
16. Finding Your Purpose
How many people do you know that are miserable in their jobs? People that could be happy if only they were doing what they loved. That could be the future for your child unless you teach them how to follow their dreams and stay on the path of doing the things they really care about.
It’s important that we don’t let society shape our kids. It’s not about money, a big house or a nice car. It’s about getting to do what you love every day. It’s about doing work that you would do even if they didn’t pay you and that is only accomplished when you find your purpose!
17. Tolerance
Teaching a child tolerance is tricky as it is typically a learned trait, meaning that they learn by watching you. If you are judgmental, racist or intolerant of any particular group, chances are they will be too.
The world we live in today is a melting pot of cultures, sexualities, religions and ethnicities. No one is going to like everything about everyone else. And that is totally okay, but the point is that you don’t need to cast hate out into the world, just because you don’t agree with someone else’s decisions, lifestyle or appearance.
Teaching your child to respect others and not to judge them makes the world a better place for all of us.
18. Self Control
There is no doubt that we live in a “super size me” economy and not just when it comes to food. Everything we desire is at our finger tips 24/7 and if we acted on every want we had our lives would be riddled with more addictions than you could count.
The value of self control has never been more important. Teaching your kids when to say no, is a skill that they can take with them their entire lives.
19. Manners
So long gone are the days of manners and courtesy that when I see a teen hold the door for a woman or greet an adult with “Yes Sir” or “Yes Mam”, it surprises me.
Our culture and many of the people our youth idolize are ignorant, vulgar and have little to no respect for themselves or society as a whole. It’s so important that your kids understand that the real world isn’t the way the media portrays it on TV or magazines.
Teaching your kids proper manners is essential and will likely assure that they stand out from the rest of the crowd. This is always a good thing!
Some things on this list are obviously more important than the others. However, each has its own place in the lives of our children. As parents, our job is to shape our kids into making the world a better place.