If you have children, one of the scariest things for you can be thinking about the future – how can you prepare them? What if you’re not always there to help them? They don’t have to be in their teens or twenties for you to start giving them sage advice on how to live. The lessons you teach them begin from birth, whether your realize it or not!
Below, we’ll give you some advice on preparing your children for the future with some simple tips.
Put Money Away And Teach Them To Do The Same
One of the greatest things you can do for your kids is put money away, while also teaching them to do the same. Every family should have an emergency fund, as you just don’t know what’s around the corner. Not only that, when you save and respect money, your kids will too. You can teach them great lessons by allowing them to earn pocket money with chores, or even just choosing to give them a set amount per week and encouraging them to really think about how they want to spend it. Do they want to spend it now and have short term enjoyment with a cheap toy/sweets, or would they like to save it and get something even better later on?
Talk about money in an honest, neutral way so that they know when to spend and when to save.
Teach By Example
Your mood and attitude teach your kids by example. If you’re stressed, studies have shown that your kids will be too. They are very intuitive and pick up things like this from you. Work on your stress levels and figure out how you can make yourself happier – you’ll be setting a great example and ensuring that rubs off on your kids.
Talk To Them About The Future and Be Honest
Talking to your kids about a future without you can be tough, but sometimes necessary. You don’t have to do this while they are very young, but you might want to discuss things like your will and end of life care with them as they get a little older so you can be sure there won’t be any disputes between family members or issues. On top of that, if they re old enough to understand how inheritance and the like works, then now could be a good time to inform them of what your plans are with that. Helping them understand what your final wishes will be, how to divide what you own, and so on, could save a lot of stress later in life. If you haven’t done that yourself, it could be a good time to speak to a Michigan estate planning attorney, or indeed one local to you, to help you out as well.
Praise Them Correctly
Praising your kids correctly has a direct impact on their self esteem. You want to praise them in a way that shows them working at something is the way forward, not that they should be naturally gifted. If you praise them by telling them they’re a natural born genius whenever they show you something they have done, they will be likely to give something up the second it gets hard. They’ll probably also become crippling perfectionists who over analyse everything. Watch how you speak!
Help Your Kids See That Learning is A Lifelong Thing
Learning doesn’t stop at school. Show your kids it’s a lifetime thing and set an example by always aiming to grow and expand in your own life.
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