Age-appropriate expectations
Whether we like it or not, kids don’t stay kids forever! One day, they will need to go out into the world on their own. The question: will they be ready? As a parent, you have the power to determine much of how prepared your child will be. Think of all the responsibilities you take on to survive as an adult:
grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning
driving safely
budgeting, paying bills, taxes
time management
Realistically, these skills cannot be learned “overnight.” If we begin to teach our children the basics from a young age, each year they become more and more confident in their ability to handle these responsibilities as an adult.
When our children are little, they depend on us for everything! We are the center of their world, and they simply cannot do anything for themselves. As they get older, children start to explore the world and themselves to find that they can be capable of so much more.
As parents, it can be a challenge to overcome our habits of doing things for our children that they can do themselves. But if we can support their budding independence with age-appropriate expectations and responsibility, we can help them develop confidence in themselves and prepare for adulthood.
As a thought exercise, consider these questions:
How old is my child now?
How many years do I have left before they turn 18 and need to be ready to be an adult?
What skills does my child already have?
What is my plan for getting them ready for adulthood with the time I have left?
