Teach Children to Take Care of Themselves With These Daily Tasks
It was 1997, and a few days before that, I checked into the hostel. The lessons haven’t even started yet. I had a problem registering because I was missing important information. I called my mom. “Mom, can you call and see what I need to do to correct my registration?”
She laughed at me.
“You are now an adult, dear, you have to call yourself. I love you! “* Click *
Impudence !
I ended up calling myself, of course – but I was so nervous and incompetent! I had no idea how to talk to another person to solve the problem for myself, so I stumbled and said “mmm” often, and generally made the conversation as awkward as possible.
My wonderful mom always did almost everything for me when it came to paperwork and other administrative tasks. I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and had a job outside of directly earning A, so she must have figured it was fair to help me with paperwork and phone calls. But god, I had a steep learning curve to climb that first year on my own.
I think adults, we sometimes take it for granted that phone calls and other administrative tasks are simple. However, for a child faced with a big new world, almost everything does not seem simple. And learning to speak for yourself is much more than just accountability – it’s about developing a sense of autonomy, confidence, and pride in yourself.
So, here are four simple responsibilities that we can assign to our children now, so that they can be sure that they will speak for themselves later:
Order food yourself
Whether it’s fast food or a five-star restaurant, from the moment our kids can read the menu, they have to order the food themselves. If they have questions about the menu or how something is prepared, they should ask the server the question themselves. Each interaction can be an opportunity to strengthen communication skills, as well as a great way to teach our friends in the service industry to be kind.
Solve your problems with teachers
If our child hopes to receive a partial grade for late homework or has to apologize for interfering with school, he or she should handle the message on his own. With my children, I ask them to write an email first (I go through it before clicking send) and then personally contact them the next day. This not only teaches autonomy, but also shows the child the benefits of showing initiative that teachers value.
Describe your health concerns to your doctor.
I love that our pediatrician is already addressing my children directly. He knows how valuable it is to take the extra time to wait for the child to verbalize what is happening to his own body. This allows our doctor to better assess their overall well-being and also gives my children the opportunity to practice protecting their own health. It’s not something that magically becomes apparent at 20, so they need to practice.
Fill in your own documents
Once their handwriting is legible, children should start filling out their own paperwork. My son has been helping him since the sixth grade, and my daughter went to second grade (her handwriting is neater). I don’t force them to fill out all the registration forms at school, but I definitely make them sit with me and help. It is useful for our children not only to see how many documents they create (and there are so many!), But also helps them remember their address and phone numbers, know where mom and dad work and what kind of insurance they have. and who is on their “safe list” for pickup. Even if they don’t fully remember this information, it is good for our children to know that there are hundreds of tiny details that make their life smooth. This is a lesson not only in responsibility, but also in gratitude.
I am grateful to my mom, for whom she did so much for me when I was a child, but even more grateful that she interrupted me the moment I stepped out into the real world. I stumbled a bit at first, but having to fulfill my responsibilities has become more than a lesson in responsibility. It gave me a sense of independence and self-confidence that I had never experienced before. Nervousness turned into confidence, which turned into success. What more can we wish our children?