13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens
In the wake of the tragedy of this week, I have been thinking. We know that we need to equip our teens with tools and know how to make in the real world, but often those skills are things like balancing the check book, basic cooking skills or how to do their laundry. All of these things are important, but are we forgetting some key skills as parents and as a society? I think we are.
Here are thirteen things I think are just as important as knowing how to boil water:
- You can’t always be first
- You can’t always win
- Not everything in life will be easy
- How to deal with bullies, mean people and rude people
- How to cope with the end of a relationship or break up
- How to resolve a dispute with a teacher, boss or other superior
- We all make mistakes and can learn from them
- How to ask for help
- Signs that a friend or loved one may be suffering (from an addiction, depression, etal)
- How to make decisions by weighing pros and cons
- Not all gratification can be instant - some things are worth the wait
- Everyone has something to contribute to society - it just might take a little exploration
- How to be a good friend
What did I miss? Do you know of other essential life skills that you think today’s kids are missing?
For more Thursday Thirteen posts, visit the main Thursday Thirteen hub. Did you do a TT post? Be sure to leave me a comment so I can come visit your site, too.
Tags: coping, strategies, teen-toolsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: School Issues, Teen Stuff, Thursday Thirteen, Weary Parent
43 opinions for 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens
char
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:11 am
And I already found one I missed -
Just because you like/love someone, they may not necessarily like/love you back. There just isn’t much you can do about it, so move on.
Christina
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:18 am
Char, I was pondering what we do to and for our children, our sons in particular, over at Solomother. Rory posted some interesting stuff quoted from Raising Cain in the comments. Worth the read.
Denise Patrick
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:21 am
Good list. At the risk of being trite - Life is not fair! Sometimes the good guys win and sometimes the bad guys win. It’s not your fault when the latter happens.
Thanks for visiting my TT.
Christina
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:27 am
Amazing list, and I think all of the above are very important lessons. Dealing with mean/rude people is something I always had a difficult time doing (mainly because they’d get my feelings so hurt).
One important thing I want to teach my son when he’s a teenager is how to treat the opposite sex with the respect they deserve. I think so many teens and adults fail to do that, so we should definitely be making a change in the next generation!
char
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:33 am
Christina #1 - I stopped in at your post and it was right on the money! Thanks for your insight.
Denise - you are right - life isn’t fair, but we all have to find ways to deal with it that don’t involve lashing out at the world.
Christina #2 - How to treat the opposite sex is such an important skill. Unfortunately we are what we learn and if the adults in the child’s life set bad examples, it just doesn’t help!
Babblz.com
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:35 am
13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens…
In the wake of the tragedy of this week, I have been thinking. We know that we need to equip our teens with tools and know how to make in the real world, but often those skills are things like balancing the check book, basic cooking skills or how to do…
-- a metamorphoself of gabrielle
Apr 19, 2007 at 10:36 am
Thursday Thirteen: Happy Garlic Day!…
Today is Garlic Day, and to “celebrate” the day, I list here the functions of garlic
Garlic…
cleanses the blood,
maintains healthy bacteria in the bowel,
helps to reduce a fever,
is an antiseptic with antibiotic and antifunga…
kat
Apr 19, 2007 at 11:10 am
This is a great post. Came here from Babblz, and voted.
Good stuff. :)
char
Apr 19, 2007 at 11:17 am
Kat - thanks for stopping in! I am a big Babblz fan too!
amy
Apr 19, 2007 at 11:23 am
All good things to remember..I hope I teach my children those one day
Amys Random THoughts is having a blogging Scavenger Hunt starting May 1st. Details were announced today. Don’t you want to participate?
Karen is Thrifty
Apr 19, 2007 at 11:58 am
Great list. Here’s another to add to the list: “The world doesn’t revolve around you.”
Thrifty Mommy - Important Things to Teach Our Children
Apr 19, 2007 at 12:13 pm
[…] at Weary Parent posted a list of 13 things we need to teach our children. Here are a few that I […]
qtpies7
Apr 19, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Those are nice, thanks! Life is not fair is something I constantly try to get through my children’s heads.
Toni
Apr 19, 2007 at 2:04 pm
You hit a homerun with this one! mine is up! :)
Frigga
Apr 19, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Good list, just as long as you don’t wait until they are teens to start the lessons!
My TT13 is up at http://anyapples.blogspot.com/
Danielle
Apr 19, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Great TT.
I would add that Politeness is cool. Being a positive role model is contagious.
Be well and enjoy the day
Xilly
Apr 19, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Great list. Thanks for shating & Happy TT!
Xilly
Apr 19, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Sorry for the typo error.
Thanks for SHARING!
Casual Keystrokes » Friday Wrap Up
Apr 20, 2007 at 4:14 am
[…] 13 Things We Need to Teach our Teens […]
TheTrenchcoat Chronicles
Apr 20, 2007 at 7:00 am
13 things…
Char over at Weary Parent has a posting light of the Virginia Tech tragedy that really should be a must read for all parents that will help their kids cope better in life. It’s entitled 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens….
Supernanny Rules » Things We Should Teach Our Children
Apr 20, 2007 at 7:10 am
[…] Parent shares a list of 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens that provides a great starting […]
Endersdragon
Apr 20, 2007 at 11:06 am
There should be something about not bullying. Trust me when you are bullied to the extreme every day you stop caring about the life lessons you have learned. Something needs to be done to stop the bully side, not just the victim side. Life may not be fair, but everyone should have a right to not live in fear every day, and not cry themselves to sleep every night.
Parents and teachers also need to take measures to prevent bullying of their kids. They are forced to go to school everyday, they need to be protected.
Mamacita
Apr 25, 2007 at 5:59 am
As a mother of two teens, I would add: don’t deal with sad feelings with drugs or alcohol; choose friends who support you as much as you support them.
Also, typo alert: I think you mean in #11 “wait” not “weight.”
doris
Apr 27, 2007 at 4:59 am
Hi Char.. thanks for alerting me about the wrong info in my blog. I’m glad to stumble upon this Thursday 13!
Spellingo Errorita
Apr 27, 2007 at 2:15 pm
“Worth the WEIGHT”????? Didn’t the weary parent mean “worth the wait”???? Oh, well, she was too weary.
char
Apr 27, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Thank you to all my editors! Yes, there is a typo in there and yes, I probably was a bit weary at that point. Apologies for the error. But I am human so I am not going back in to fix it.
Have a great weekend!
Karen is Thrifty
Apr 27, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Gee whiz. Char, I noticed the error, but didn’t say anything because it wasn’t a big deal. If I wrote notes about all the errors I see on the internet, I’d be a busy person. Glad you’re human! :)
Milander
Apr 28, 2007 at 4:38 am
- too much of a good thing is not a good thing
- all credit is bad credit
- live for today, not tomorrow
- listen to old people, they’ve made all the mistakes you are going to
Just some off the top of my head. Nice list btw have a beer on me :))
Mark Watrous
May 9, 2007 at 10:09 am
# Not all gratification can be instant - some things are worth the weight is your number 11…
It would be worth the wait, if someone would either use their brain or spellcheck…
char
May 9, 2007 at 10:12 am
Sorry for the mistake Mark - I already apologized for it up a few comments. Unfortunately these things get past me from time to time.
Hope you stop back in again.
Karen is Thrifty
May 9, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Gee whiz people. Get off her back. It was one spelling error. I’ve seen spelling errors on the news, in magazines, and more. And even if she had used spellcheck, it wouldn’t have caught the “weight” vs “wait”.
Honestly Char, you are nicer than me!!!! :D
Hot Stuff: Vote For Your Favorite! | GNMParents - Parenting Tips, News, Discussions, And Diatribes
May 22, 2007 at 8:33 am
[…] 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens is a presentation by WearyParent, who creates a listing of some important life lessons to explain to teenagers, as a way of preparing them for joining society at large. Very thoughtful and open-ended and non-judgmental. […]
Come Vote for Me!
May 22, 2007 at 8:44 am
[…] just found out that my post 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens has been nominated for GNMParent’s Hot Stuff of the Week award. Thank you, thank you to […]
Stu Mark
May 22, 2007 at 9:34 am
Congrats, this post has been nominated for Hot Stuff Of The Week over at our site, GNMParents - Good luck in the voting!
char
May 22, 2007 at 9:39 am
Thanks Stu Mark! I am in great company.
I Have A Hot Post
May 22, 2007 at 11:20 am
[…] One of my posts at my b5 media blog, Weary Parent, has been nominated for GNMParent’s Hot Stuff of the Week award. Who knew? Anyhow, the post nominated is 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens. […]
Parenting Teens » Blog Archive » Things to Teach Your Teen
May 23, 2007 at 7:28 am
[…] received the much-deserved nomination for her post 13 Things We Need to Teach Our Teens, written back on April 19, just after the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Here’s an excerpt from […]
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May 25, 2007 at 7:44 pm
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Who’s Hot Stuff? Weary Parent! | GNMParents - Parenting Tips, News, Discussions, And Diatribes
May 27, 2007 at 7:28 pm
[…] post was a valuable list of 13 concepts to teach teenagers. We at GNMP really value such posts, because they are a genuine contribution to all parents. Thanks […]
Kay
May 29, 2007 at 8:13 am
This would be on a list of 13 things to teach our teenage sons … but I really feel we need to teach our sons how to be an equal partner in relationships - times have changed and too many of our sons are still growing up thinking their partner/wife will work full time and do it all .
Also we need to teach our teenagers to give unselfishly - with NO expectation of recognition or award. This is true giving - and those who master this life skill are those who succeed in life, work and relationships.
taylorblue
May 31, 2007 at 11:54 am
Amazing list…I find there isn’t enough things we could teach our kids to be prepared for the world…
Sherl
Jul 7, 2007 at 5:23 pm
you need to make sure that your teenager know his/her friends, which friends are good or whichfriends could turn around one day and stab you in the back. friends are one of the most important things in a teenager’s life. friends are always wonderfull, but make sure you know who are you REAL friends, the ones that are there for you.
Raising Socially Responsible Kids | A Mom's Life and Parenting Tips at NeenMachine.com
Mar 26, 2008 at 6:14 am
[…] at Weary Parent has written an excellent post entitled 13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens. The resounding message is that we need to empower our children to deal with disappointment and […]
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