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Beautiful Blessing
As a parent, you are in the greatest position to bestow blessings upon your child. Many will just wish for a healthy baby while some are more ambitious: the child must get to a good university and make millions.
Your Wish
Whatever your wish for your child and there should be many for a well rounded upbringing, the top three would be financial finesse, culinary skill and social charm.
Financial Finesse
How do we learn financial management and financial savvy? I learnt some basic stuff when I was a Brownie (a junior Girl Scout) but it was real simple stuff such as saving pocket money and not wasting things. Apart from watching my parents that was it!
Further parental advice may be limited to admonitions such as money does not grow on trees! That is hardly training!
Perhaps people who study accountancy and business will learn some financial management, but for the average Joe and Jane the exposure will fall short of what will be helpful.
Nowadays there are courses available for kids to attend. It is never too young to introduce your child to one of these courses.
Think about your own example of how you use and manage money. Does your example pass muster? This might be an opportune moment to rethink your financial management or mismanagement.
Canned Cuisine
Tonight again its burger or something out of a can!
Not the best way to live if that is your daily food. One of my biggest regrets in life if that I am not a better cook. Again I did try attempted the Cooking Badge with the Girl Scouts and my dear mother did try to show me the basics, but I rarely got past peeling the potatoes.
If you can cook you might think it is natural for everyone to cook. But it just does not come naturally for all.
If I had my time over again I would have taken cooking more seriously and if you have children then lose no time, get them enrolled in cooking classes.
This is one skill I think is worth going on a course for, and who knows your child might make you some great food!
Social Skills Advocate
I am a total believer in social skills development.
In my teaching of English I am glad I have the opportunity to interact with young minds and to explain to them why nice behavior is important.
Social Skill expertise is an underpinning skill for social success. Without developed social skills, it is going to be difficult to interact well with others.
One of the best investments I made when I was a teenager was to save up for a grooming and etiquette course at Lucie Clayton. This was a London finishing school course, and I spent a few months learning how to behave correctly in diverse social situations. Not only that I really enjoyed this experience.
My Three Wishes
My three wishes for your children are
may they learn to the best cooks,
may they always make wise financial decisions and
may they have express the best social graces and charm.
