Now that the older Blossoms are 18 and 16, I reflect from time to time on what we have and haven't yet taught them to do. I got to thinking the other day about all the things I consider a life skill. It's not necessarily the same list that others might have and I'm good with that.
It's my job as a parent to make sure that life skills are being developed and utilized in order to move toward healthy independence.
Cooking is a life skill. Reading a recipe. Boiling water. Scrambling eggs.
I once taught a cooking class for our homeschool co-op with a dear friend. We called it, "How Not To Starve." Our premise was that if you can cook eggs, you won't starve. If you can make spaghetti, you won't starve. We hit a lot of great basics - even homemade chicken nuggets - in that 8 week class and the class still stands as a fun memory for our children.
Making change. Ordering food. Making a phone call. Scheduling doctor's appointments. Carrying on a conversation. Driving. Advocating for yourself. Giving a speech. Making a grocery list. Knowing how to stand up for your convictions. Performing household cleaning chores. Growing something edible. Thrifting affordable clothing and housewares. Harvesting your own meat. Buying good ice cream. Sustaining a quiet time with God. Doing hard things.
I don't ask their opinion. I don't make learning life skills optional to the girls, nor do I make it a huge blown up announcement kind of thing. We keep it matter of fact.
(Fill in the blank with the whatever the latest thing we've decided they need to know.)
They don't have to love that particular thing, but they need to be able to do it independently. As a parent, it falls to me to faithfully teach them.
You can teach your kids life skills.
Steady plodding makes good progress! Keep at it, my friends!
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