Kids and life skills

Kiboko

For the last time, these are not sit down and get on with it lessons! They are normal kids, they veg out in front of the TV, they play in the garden and go to the park,the cinema, have friends over, go to friends houses. However, rather than them just sitting watching me clean, cook etc, they get stuck in and are capable of doing most things themselves because of that. I just like to have an idea of things they may need to know in life and when appropriate show/tell etc. For example, once they could sew on a button, had tried making a simple sewing project they hated sewing I wouldn't force them to carry on sewing. I don't see any harm in them knowing the basics, as it happens they love sewing and knitting and choose to do it, often in front of the TV.

I am not standing over them demanding they do things, seriously some people have a warped sense of my parenting. Maybe I should ban them now from doing what they love (cooking, shopping, sewing etc) and force them to play playstation, watch constant TV,give them everything on a plate.

Person_one

I just think you're getting waaaay too concerned about all this. Look around you, you'll see a world full of adults who manage to cope pretty well with their day to day lives, parents have been equipping children for adulthood forever, its not a new idea!

You're also pretty confrontational as soon as anybody disagrees with you, are you like that with them?

Mojisola

Person_one wrote: »

Between school and all the extra learning they have to do to keep you happy do they ever get chance to relax, or socialise, or play?

Much of the kind of "learning" that's being suggested can be done as part of family time together. I don't think our kids ever felt they were "at school" when we were camping in a field, cooking over an open fire and generally having fun.

I don't think they thought things like learning to sew on buttons was a chore - it was done when a button needed replacing on an item of their clothing, they got shown how to do it, did their own repair and were very satisfied to wear the clothing knowing they had fixed it.

I've also found that time spent while doing practical things - like ironing, weeding, dusting, poking a fire, etc - is often the time that kids open up about things that are worrying them or that they're curious about.

Person_one

Mojisola wrote: »

Much of the kind of "learning" that's being suggested can be done as part of family time together. I don't think our kids ever felt they were "at school" when we were camping in a field, cooking over an open fire and generally having fun.

I don't think they thought things like learning to sew on buttons was a chore - it was done when a button needed replacing on an item of their clothing, they got shown how to do it, did their own repair and were very satisfied to wear the clothing knowing they had fixed it.

I've also found that time spent while doing practical things - like ironing, weeding, dusting, poking a fire, etc - is often the time that kids open up about things that are worrying them or that they're curious about.

Well, exactly.

Kiboko

Person_one wrote: »

I just think you're getting waaaay too concerned about all this. Look around you, you'll see a world full of adults who manage to cope pretty well with their day to day lives, parents have been equipping children for adulthood forever, its not a new idea!

You're also pretty confrontational as soon as anybody disagrees with you, are you like that with them?

I never said it was new idea. Look around you, there are a lot of people who cannot cope in the outside world, think the world owes them a living.

I was just thinking about what prepares people for the time when they leave home, and posted accordingly.

Kiboko

OMG its just done NATURALLY FGS, NOT IN FORCED LESSON FORM. do you actually understand that? I just wanted ideas that i might not have thought of, that could also be introduced NATURALLY NOT IN FORCED LESSON FORM. How many more times do I have to say it?

As for me being confrontational, you are being very judgemental. Does it make you feel better about yourself?

FBaby

I haven't read the whole thread so might be repeating, but what came to my mind when I read the title was more in terms of mental than physical skills.

I am very keen on teaching my kids skills so they learn to cope with everything. That includes hard work. I absolutely despise laziness, the 'I can't be bothered' attitude, even if I try to accept that an element of it during childhood/teenagehood is inevitable. I try hard to conquer my maternal need to protect them to allow them to do things on their own to build their confidence. I think this is absolutely essential and I have already see how it has benefiting them adjusting admirably to change (we move last year, new schools etc...). I teach them that there are consequences for everything they do, that they are things in life we don't control, but giving up is never going to provide the outcome wished for. I teach them that different people have different skills and that they should all feel good about their own capabilities.

I could go on, but I find these skills much more important than teaching them how to do specific things.

Person_one

Kiboko wrote: »

OMG its just done NATURALLY FGS, NOT IN FORCED LESSON FORM. do you actually understand that? I just wanted ideas that i might not have thought of, that could also be introduced NATURALLY NOT IN FORCED LESSON FORM. How many more times do I have to say it?

As for me being confrontational, you are being very judgemental. Does it make you feel better about yourself?

Do you shout at your children with so little provocation?

(all caps is considered shouting in internet manners, in case you didn't realise.)

dizziblonde

Wirenth wrote: »

I so agree with this. My first year at university, one of the girls in the block decided to boil herself an egg. In the kettle.:eek:

Friend I was at uni with tried to do this - ended up setting fire to his kitchen.

More worryingly this guy is now in charge of high security prisoners!

Kiboko

Person_one wrote: »

Do you shout at your children with so little provocation?

(all caps is considered shouting in internet manners, in case you didn't realise.)

Judgemental yet again? No, I don't need to shout at my children, they are nice kids. I am sorry, all caps is shouting, however in my post 'some' of my words were in caps, for emphasis. You are however being deliberatly provocative and judgemental, your life is obviously a sad lonely one if you feel the need to behave like this, maybe you have no friends IRL because you judge them without understanding them. Please go and play in the traffic.