Life Skills 101

When I was a child, my parents gave me a very special gift. It's a gift that I have used over and over again in my adult life. It's called life skills. At an early age, my parents began teaching me practical things like how to read a map, cooking, how to follow a budget, and a host of other things. These are skills that are not necessarily covered in a class at school, yet they are so vital to our adult success.

Now that I have children of my own, I have begun to calculate what life skills I want to pass on to them. I want them to gain the same love of music that I have, to experience Mozart to Etta James to Toby Mac and around the world and back again. I want them to learn to be responsible no matter who is watching or not. Good money management skills are definitely on the list, along with cooking, sense of direction, and "street smarts". What about common etiquette and an understanding of appropriate attire in various social settings?

We, as parents, get so consumed with giving our children a quality education. We carefully select preschools and grade schools years in advance, but are we as consumed with passing along these equally important life skills? Have you considered which skills you want to pass along to your children?

So, here's to my parents! Happy Father's Day, Dad. Mom, I love you! Thanks for giving me the life skills that I would have never found in a classroom.