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RAISING KIDS: MILESTONES YOU MIGHT NOT THINK ABOUT By Jessica Farthing
W
hen our children are babies, we are so in tune with their milestones. When are they supposed to sit up? When should they walk? After they finish becoming mobile, potty-training and learning to talk, the milestones seem fewer and farther between. Somehow, we lose track of when they should learn independent living skills as they get older. However, to move your child forward toward being a capable adult, the work never ends. Here are some skills that might not get checked at the doctor's office, but are just as important.
LEARNING TO VOLUNTEER
Children are naturally empathetic and love to help others. As a parent, it’s almost never too early to foster this skill. Of course, it’s important to pay attention to age and skill level to pick activities that are right for them. It’s also great to follow their interests to make a volunteer project more compelling for your child. One of the best ways to teach a child that it’s valuable to
volunteer is to model that behavior. Making this a family effort shows that you practice what you preach and it will be more likely that your child will take this lesson into adulthood. Another way to teach a child about the gift of giving is to read books that deal with the theme, like the beautiful story of a generous tree, “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein.
MANAGING MONEY
Julia Taylor had debt from her master’s degree and vowed that her daughters would learn to live free of borrowed money. She knew she had to make spending realistic for her oldest daughter, “Kate and I had a lot of conversations on how to handle money. I gave her a little notebook to keep track of her allowance. She wrote down what she spent and what she planned to spend it on. I required her to have charitable giving and savings. She still does it at 21 years old. She keeps track of every penny and checks her bank account everyday.”
WINTER 2019-20 • ParenthoodIQ.com 15
