Before I start being a little too honest about my children, hear me out…I LOVE THEM. I think they are incredible people with potential out the wazoo. I think they are smart and funny and all the other good things most parents think about their charges. However…
It has come to my attention that my kids lack solid survival skills…or, more honestly, basic life skills. Sometimes they will say something so brilliant, I’m startled about what they know…but lately, I’ve been just as shocked about some of the things they don’t know. Like our address. This realization came around the same time I discovered that Emily Ley used each summer to have “How to Be a Person Camp” where she teaches her kids these very skills. It was so good, I immediately had to borrow this concept for my own children.
Last summer, with my then 11 and 8 year old, we dipped our toes into this concept. We tackled the following small skills:
- Learning our address and cell phone numbers
- Finally tackling how to tie a bow
- How to make yourself lunch (Lily) or a snack (Harrison)
- How to introduce yourself
- How to feed our animals
- How to clean your room (picking up, making the bed, dusting, & vacuuming)
- How to order at a restaurant
And that was essentially it. It was a nice little introduction. But this year, I’m not messing around!
This summer with Lily being 12 and Harrison being 9, I feel like we can really have some fun with this. So far this summer, it’s been super busy, so we haven’t been able to really embrace these new concepts. However, we have tackled a couple so far:
- They tried new things!
Our neighborhood has an incredible pool facility that is a ton of fun for our whole family. This year we decided to take our involvement up a notch and both our kids joined the swim team! It wasn’t something either loved at first but after a few practices and meets, they both have a better grasp on the flow of things and seem to enjoy most of it! However, from my view point, I have seen their confidence grow, friendships blossom, and swimming skills sky rocket. I’m a big fan! Plus, watching the swim meets is exhilarating and feels like a front row seat to the Olympics!
Additionally, Lily auditioned for our community’s young actor program’s upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland. She approached her audition very pragmatically and her only goal was to do her best. She read the script, practiced the lines of the Queen of Hearts quite hard, and put together an outfit for her audition that would show the panel she was taking it seriously! I really tried to take a back seat and only help when asked…which was sort of like me trying new things! 😉 Not only did she get a call back but she got a part AND an understudy part! She starts rehearsals this week as the Mock Turtle and understudy for the Queen of Hearts for Theatre Baton Rouge’s production in August! So far through this process, I saw her set a goal and work hard towards something new.
2. Scrambling Eggs & Reading a Recipe
When it comes to thriving in the kitchen, I do not. I love eating good, healthy, home cooked meals but I’m not calm and at home when cooking them. I’m trying but I’m not there yet. Chris, on the other hand, does. So he really took the lead on this one. He walked Harrison through the process of making scrambled eggs but Lily passed on this lesson because she HATES eggs. Lily opted instead to tackling reading a recipe. She is much more intrigued with baking so that’s what we are sticking with for now! After a few rounds of scrambling eggs with Chris, Harrison is now whipping these up on his own! The kicker here though is he is excited to eat them…so I’ll take the win!
Because it’s been such a busy summer so far, this is really all we have tackled. However, with swim team wrapping up this month, July is gearing up to be the perfect time to tackle a few more skills. Here are the skills we hope to tackle:
- How to address an envelope
- How to sign your name
- How to do the electric slide
- How to set SMART goals
- How to manage your money & budget for something fun
- How to give the dogs a bath
- How to do a load of laundry (from loading to folding to hanging up!)
- How to trim/file your nails
- How to clean a small wound and put a Band-Aid on
- How to cut fruits & vegetables
- Plus continuing to review what we learned last year
While the kiddos aren’t thrilled about every lesson, so far they are approaching each without a fight. And isn’t that all I can ask with preteens? 😉 What are some lessons you think we should add to the list?