As hard as it may be, we have to let our kids fail. It is the only way they truly learn how to succeed.
Why do you care, Charla?
This is a question I ask myself each time I get ready to tell my teens what to do. This one question stops me in my tracks and forces me to think long-term about what I am trying to accomplish.
Most days I don't stress out when my tweens/teen's hair and clothes are not "presentable". This does not mean I let them wear crop tops and skin-tight jeans. Instead, I am talking about oversized sweatshirts, jeans with lots of holes, shoes that are falling apart, beaten-up baseball caps, etc. Don't get me wrong, when we are on a trip where lots of pictures will be taken or we are seeing friends/family, I insist on a level of appearance that exceeds my ordinary standards. But, I let them manage their own appearance 90% of the time. Why? Because I have bigger issues to deal with and I don't want them to tune me out because I nag about something that really does not matter 5 years from now.
This week, I have prepared a list of battles that are not worth the oxygen. After all, time is short with your teen and you want to make sure that you pick your battles wisely.
Before you read the list of "don't dos", let me tell you a few of the arguments that I believe are worth your time:
- Who your teens hang around
- Your teen's study habits
- The expectation that your teen spends time with you
- The amount of time your teen spends in front of a screen
- Instilling healthy habits to ensure physical and mental health
Your voice is only one of the many your teen hears. Make sure that you are choosing your battles wisely so that they know what is truly important and you maintain a healthy (and relatively peaceful) relationship.
Do you wish you could have a money do-over?
I didn't want my kids to have money regrets like me.
That is why I wrote Beyond Personal Finance. My curriculum lets your teen simulate his future from age 22-42 and lets them design their life by making choices like career, car, apartment, spouse, house, investment, etc all while creating 20 budgets to see how those choices will impact their financial picture BEFORE the money is real.
This will be your student's favorite class.
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