1. Ride a bike. I have met teens and adults that don't know how to ride a bike, and they are so convinced that it's too late now. Riding a bike, if not efficient, is so liberating to a person! To move quickly under your own power. Mechanical advantage is a beautiful thing. I learned on Shara's bie with big Y handle-bars and a banana seat, riding across the front yard on the grass.
2. Swim confidently. This has come up at work among some of my international colleagues. I would have supposed that swimming is a very cheap leisure activity that knows no boundaries. On the other hand... perhaps in some countries, the concept of leisure is a lost art. Americans learn to swim when their parents are attentive to teaching or enrolling in swimming lessons. My lessons were at Woods Reservoir, Columbia, the Tullahoma City Pool, and Tims Ford State Park. (Did those really span 4 summers? Or were they multiple lessons over some summers?)
3. Wash the laundry. Honestly. Remember in college when there was that one guy who had never done a load of laundry in his life? Then he made it a month into his freshman year and he still hadn't? It's really a shame that such a simple thing goes overlooked. My mother-in-law is the queen of laundering, and can get any stain out of anything. Jen even has a book called "The Joy of Laundering." I remember doing laundry loads as a 10 year old, maybe even younger.
4. Play piano. Perhaps because this is so engrained in stereotypical Americana. I learned to play the piano, and that was formative in my childhood. Taking a few lessons, resisting practicing. Learning to sing, play instruments, keep rhythm, read music. Some say you end up smarter for the effort, too! I'm not very good, but recently I have been sitting down a few times a week to plunk out a few children's songs on the piano, which the boys love. If only I were as good as Jen... (on many things, at that!)
5. Keep a budget. But of course. This is how young children learn the principle that their money has value, is hard to come by, and is not infinite. I had a simple jobs list that made a big impact for me as a young child. Even those years when I only earned $23.17 over 12 months. The plan for me then was 50% savings in the bank, 10% tithing, and 40% spending money. Simple budget, but it got the job done. I've had to rejigger the numbers a bit now for married life, but we still have a strict savings/tithing/spending division.
All from tuppence, prudently
Fruitfully, frugally invested
In the, to be specific,
In the Dawes, Tomes
Mousely, Grubbs
Fidelity Fiduciary Bank
Fruitfully, frugally invested
In the, to be specific,
In the Dawes, Tomes
Mousely, Grubbs
Fidelity Fiduciary Bank
What else do you think a child should be able to look back on and say, "I'm glad I learned that as a child"?
Bike riding has a certain freedom attached to it, or did for me. Can parents though still let their kids run all over the neighborhoods on their bikes? Thankfully, you had a bike buddy in Ben, and also sometimes Dad. I liked that occasionally you even rode to school. I spent alot of time on my bike as a kid, we went pretty far into other neighborhoods, but still on our side of town...I didn't want to get too far away and not want to ride back home. We used to take our bikes camping too. I took my first 10-speed ( that I saved up for, and bought at Parks Belk where I worked!) to college, and sometimes rode to class, and to work. I rode it much more at BYU than at APSU. Since then...um...not so much. I recently considered riding Spencer's three wheeler around the block but his tires were flat.
ReplyDeleteAt home, growing up we took Red Cross Swimming lessons every year. I still remember so much about our local pool and the good times I had there. I sort of just assumed it was what I should do for my kids. You took lessons in Columbia, Winchester, Tullahoma, and Tim's Ford, and at the base! Sometimes you did double up in one summer for another round. But our local pool was , I thought, inferior, being right by a busy road, with strange hours, and not as conducive to just spending all day at the pool. Ours had acres of trees, swings, pavilions and was out of town a little bit. And it had a covered section for the mom's to sit and read...ping pong tables, music playing, and bbq fritos. My choice of pool snack.
I didn't really do my own laundry until college, except of course put away, sometimes fold, bring in laundry from the line. I thank Barbara Callens who had 8 kids for telling me kids could actually do laundry. I seriously hadn't thought of that. Very empowering to kids and solved tons of laundry issues. I loved how you each had your own ways of doing it!
Piano, I am afraid is getting scarcer and scarcer. We have so few in our ward now who can play. I was unwilling to push you all or make it a big point of contention, but am glad you all got the basics. Not much more than that though, I am sorry to say. But I appreciate that you all learned to sing, and have some experience with instruments. You can pick it up at any time...Practice is the key. I got much better when I was called as primary pianist...that scared me to death. now I would like to have another go at that!
Budgets...so glad we had the 3 part banks! And that you all weren't so into being consumers, overall. I hope that served you well as now there is so many places to put your money. The basics is still good...tithing, saving, and yes...spending! Glad I too, was raised paying tithing, and doing both chores and work. I mowed alot of grass growing up, from a young age. ( my dad had all girls...)
Where did Shara's comment go?
Definitely true. Good parenting can give kids a nice head start in life. I hope to at least give our kids these same capabilities (and more) that help them be ready to be self-sufficient and capable adults.
DeleteHere was SHARA's comment that got deleted (I don't know how):
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Excellent list!
I don't like to ride a bike but I do know how.
I loved swimming and that we took so many swimming lessons. Must schedule for the kids.
I remember sorting and folding baskets of laundry with Mom and being taught as soon as we were able to help with this NEVERENDING chore. My kids help with parts they can and I look forward to having them DO THEIR OWN just like Mom did.
Piano...ah. Yes. Lots of resistance to practicing but I can still plunk out a few simplified hymns. A piano is on my craigslist find list :)
Budget. This is something I'm always shocked that people have such little concept of (or realize the value!) in their financial lives. We had our little banks and Dad kept us up to date on our numbers. We payed half for camps & EFYs and other such things. Awesome. My kids have banks and love to fill with coins!
I think we have to give great credit to Mom & Dad for making sure to teach us and make things like this a priority in our family so we could all benefit and be able to say "Things I'm glad I learned as a child" because if it wasn't for their efforts...we wouldn't! Way to go Mom & Dad!
Others I thought of from our family?
-Learning to work (outside chores, inside chores) sounds silly maybe but more and more I know kids that just aren't required to WORK!
-Learning to sing (goes with learning to play piano--reading notes, etc)
-Learning to write --Mom would write in our journals when we were small & then encouraged us to do so as we got older. Letters & journal writing were classic Sunday evening activities growing up.
-Learning to send Thank Yous --we always sent Thank You cards after birthdays and Christmas or other gift receiving occasions. I love the value of a thank you card/note/email!
-Learning to read scriptures/be comfortable with scripture language at a young age. It really instills an appreciation and comfort level that serves us well!
+1 to singing and thank yous. I'm not perfect, but I'm getting better!
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