Who should teach life skills to the youth? Hmm... What do you think? Put your ideas in
the comments. I'm Nicholeen Peck and I'm a parenting expert. I also am an expert on education
and life skills training. So, this is going to be a fun video. We're going to talk about
life skills. Maybe give you some ideas about what ones you want to focus on and then who
should be the person to teach life skills to our children. You know, people talk about
life skills training all the time. In fact, we all know, we innately know that there are
so many life skills that a person needs in order to become a successful adult. And we
also know that society is not doing a good job at teaching life skills. Sure they might
teach a person how to text. Society might teach a person how to set up an Instagram
account. Society might teach a person how to work a digital television. And where those
can be kind of life skills in comparison to the ones that truly bring self-confidence
those paled by comparison. So, who should be teaching those life skills? I want to talk
about that. But first, I think it might be beneficial for you to know some of the important
life skills that need to be taught to children. I made a list of life skills and I'm just
going to read some of these to you. So, housekeeping, cooking, sewing, basic repairs, writing. Do
they know how to write in a way where they can convey a message to someone? Publick speaking,
reading and extracting information. Effective communication. Stepping out of their comfort
zone, tech skills, how to research something or find real answers. Or do they just watch
the news? News is not a good research source. Emergency preparedness. That covers a lot
of areas. Growing food, first date, how to read a map. You know, in our age of GPS and
Siri and everybody else, do we teach maps anymore? Or an analog clock? Car maintenance,
paying bills, building a resume, applying for a job, budgeting, how to make money, organizational
skills; understanding values, priorities, morals. Self-awareness, how to focus, etiquette,
how to vote, listening, relationship skills, expressing gratitude like writing thank you
cards. Problem-solving and emotional intelligence. These are just a few of the life skills that
children need to learn in order to become productive happy adults who feel confident
in their own abilities to navigate the adult world. Who do you think is the best person
to teach adult life skills to children? Do you think it's the school? Well, maybe they
help. You know, hopefully, they're working on reading. But truly, when you're reading
those little books for 30 minutes every night, it's really you that's teaching them reading.
And public speaking, they don't do a great job there unless they speech or debate class.
What about the media or friends or neighbors, do they do a good job at teaching life skills?
They might teach some. They might be some people at the church that gives some life
skills training. Maybe a scoutmaster. Scout has historically been a great place for boys
to finetune and learn some skills they hadn't learned before. But if you haven't guessed
it already, the ideal person for teaching life skills to children is parents. Doesn't
that make sense anyway? I mean, when they were born, when their lives began, they came
to us, their parents. So, someone must think that we have what it takes to prepare them
to meet adulthood with confidence, to learn and grow and develop the skills they need
for their lives? Well, we do. But sometimes, we have to start learning ourselves if maybe
there are gaps in our own life skills training. So why should parents be the ones that teach
the life skills the most. Well, there are many reasons. But a few of those reasons are
that parents historically have had the greatest bond with their children. And learning is
best done through relationships. Also, when children hit troubles in their lives later,
who do they come back to? Well, they come back to their families. And if their families
have been the ones that have trained them in the first place, then all the more reason
they will come back to the family for the solution to their adult-sized problem. It
creates a pattern for the child. A pattern of learning that they could always rely on
for the rest of their lives. If they learn in adult skills through google or online somewhere,
okay, that's alright. But for all the answers to all their problems, for help with their
relationships, is Google really the answer? Does Google really care about that person?
No. In fact, if anything Google exploits the person by selling them everything under the
sun. No. That person needs someone who truly will nurture them and care for them. They
need a family. They need a parent. So, if the parent has always been the one who teaches
the child adult skills then when that child experiences something in their life that they've
never met before, a skill that maybe they hadn't learned yet; they will come to the
parent first for the solution to that problem. This brings them peace and security throughout
their entire lives. I'm pretty sure I have missed some life skills in my big list that
I shared with you. Can you think of any others? If so, put them in the comments below. I would
love to hear some more ideas on life skills that people absolutely must know. If you enjoyed
this video, I'm pretty sure you're going to love my next video which is How To Improve
Emotional Intelligence In Children. Click on that link and I'll see you there.