How and When to Teach Kids Adulting
The phrase we hear most of our college staff use today to describe things like finding a job and paying bills is “adulting.” Jacob leads us in thinking intentionally how we can set our kids up for success today for when they start “adulting”.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:7
As hard as it may be for some to think about the day our child leaves home to begin their life out in “the real world”, reality is…outside of Jesus returning, this day will come for all of us. So why would we desire anything, but setting our children up for the most success possible?
We must be intentional about teaching our kids the process of “adulting.” Our kids need to know how to budget, pay taxes, open a bank account, and write a check. These are all things we can teach throughout normal, everyday life. The question is: Are we going to?
Check out a couple of everyday ways we can begin practicing this with our kids.
1. Include Them – The easiest way to teach children the process of “adulting” is to include them in the things we are already doing. When working on the budget, paying bills, talking about taxes – let’s include our kids in these conversations. Will this slow down the process of completing these tasks? You bet! But it will be worth it.
2. Make it Fun – Set up specific times (maybe once a month) that the entire family learns something together. Change it up! Don’t teach paperwork every month. Rotate through different aspects of life like changing a tire, opening a checking account, having them do their own laundry (hopefully more than once a month on this one!), budgeting, changing the oil in the car, etc. These can be cherished memories your family shares.
3. Let them Teach – One of the best indicators of us having learned something is when we are able to teach it to someone else. If you have multiple children at home, give opportunities for the oldest child to teach the younger children. Or find another family with younger children. Parents don’t always have to be the teacher; we can set up scenarios where children teach us how to do these things. This will provide an opportunity for them to ask questions and for us to help them when they get “stuck.”
Part of setting up our kids for success is teaching them practical things they will need to know when they become an adult. Let’s usher our kids into “adulting” well with intentionality and plenty of fun.
Camper Corner:
Are there things about becoming an adult that scare you? If so, what? Where do you want to live during college? Do you know how to find a good place to live? Why is it important to know how to budget your money?
