Lyndsey Moments from a tired mom: How do you teach them everything???
Introduction
So today is my day to work in the office. Typically I work from home, but one day a week I go into the office for work, which is a little farther away than you would think. It takes me a while to get home, especially on days like today. There was construction, backing up traffic for miles upon miles. It was a later night than usual for us!
I got a call from my husband while I was stuck in traffic. While waiting for me to get home, my husband had the kids. Apparently, my son wanted to go outside and ride his bike. GREAT! We love when the kids ask to spend time outside, it seems like it’s a less than desirable activity for this generation and we will promote it 100%.
My husband told him absolutely you can go ride your bike, and then asked him: if a stranger stops and asks you if you want candy, what do you say?
My son’s response… THANK YOU!
That was not what we were going for, at all! So this posed the question to myself, how do you teach them everything?
Teach Them Everything
As parents, we are responsible for the people our children grow up to be. We are responsible for making sure our children learn life lessons, the good and the bad. This little moment, this piece of time, was a a big reminder that while you teach them everything you can, some things get lost in translation.
We live in a very small town area, so we haven’t put a focus on the things and people to watch out for. Or, generally, how to react when strangers offer you something. We have been so focused on teaching manners, and creating a polite and respectful human, that we have lost the part where we teach caution.
So, how do you teach them everything?
We spend so much time trying to shape our little humans into people that can succeed in this world, but what if we forget something?
What if we don’t teach them a critical skill or a critical lesson?
These are the things that can weigh on my mind, a lot, throughout the day. Or of course, the night, when I am trying to sleep.
Lead Them Through Life
I don’t have a perfect answer for this, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. That’s why this blog is Perfectly Imperfect. I am not perfect. No one is perfect, and there is no perfect family. But my family is perfectly imperfect, and I love it just the way it is.
My suggestion, lead them through life. Talk to your kid about life lessons and things throughout your day. Talk to them like they are just another human in your life. Not everything has to be a full structured lesson, and not everything ever will be. If you lead your kids through life daily, you will teach them hidden lessons all day long.
Answer their questions with honest answers. I know… that can be a lot. Kids ask A LOT of questions. They are curious, but they are curious because they genuinely don’t understand or know. We talk to our kids with real, honest answers. Of course, we provide the answers in an appropriate way for their age, but we are honest and we explain. We want them to understand this world, and to understand it in a way that they can use knowledge to make critical decisions.
If we want our children to move mountains, we first have to let them out of their chairs.
– Nicolette Sowder
Conclusion
I don’t have the special ability to teach my children everything, and be confident about it. There is no secret answer I am hiding, or helpful parenting hack. EVERY. SINGLE. CHILD. IS. DIFFERENT. Don’t try to fit them into a box of stereotypes or age groups. Don’t think you are failing just because your kid didn’t know something they “should have already known” according to experts. Lead your kids with everything you have, teach them everything you know, and let them teach you along the way. We may be responsible for the adults our children become, but they need to have the tools to do it themselves.
How do you teach your children life skills? Open discussion in the comments below!
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It is certainly a challenge trying to teach our children all the things they need to know. We’ve always been very open and honest about things and answer their questions as honestly as we can (while keeping it age-appropriate!) #WotW
I’ve found that’s the best way as well. We try to be as open and honest and possible too. That might be why my son was always called 3 going on 30…
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