Topics to Teach My Kids

[SteveSRT8]

I raised 3 kids as a single Dad and totally agree with dnewton above.

You have to get control of the situation early, by the time they are 10-12 it may be too late. Parents are not best friends, they can be but IMO that is not parenting.

Also, every kid is different so what works for one may not do anything good for another....

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Any parent that sits a young child in front of a TV so they can watch [censored] for 10 hours a day should be arrested and charged with Child Abuse.

As a grandfather, I am quite impressed with some of the excellent programing for kids now a days. Any parent that says they don't require a few moments of relief from the 24/7 job of raising kids is fooling themselves. We recently watched a program together showing lions clamping down on the necks of their food source, which is a much better lesson than the Disney wildlife version. There is no reason that television cannot be used as a learning tool, using responsibility and in moderation. As Dnewton points out, if you shelter them from learning while young, you will lose them in their teens.

The same principles apply to sex, drugs, alcohol, religion, etc. and anyone who thinks they can control their kids as teenagers without instilling some self responsibility early on will have huge struggles.

Lots of good ideas here on the controversial subject of child rearing!

 

[pandus13]

This is one of the best non-oil related topics....
if teaching kids/teenagers to work on cars, teach them safety/common sense.
i changed many rotors/brake pads with just the scissors jack that cam with the car.
but the moment the wheel was off it went under the car as a backup...

teach them to ask for help when needed, but learn the lesson for next time.

It's OK to get dirty or learn a trade: it's a backup skill for later in life (what if....)
tv/tablet/computer time it's OK; but use it to learn something

 

[Pop_Rivit]

My dad taught me that hard work, no matter what I did for a living, would always pay off. He also taught me not to whine or worry about every minor issue that life throws at us. Rather, if it is a problem that needs to be solved then tackle it head on. If it's a problem that does not need to be solved or is out of my hands then don't be concerned over it.

He also taught me a great deal of independence. At 9 years old I could be trusted to take an Allis Chalmers G out to the field and spend the day cultivating corn. Dad knew it would be done right, and if there was a problem I'd be able to solve it without his help.

He taught me that it was ok to make mistakes, but not learning from those mistakes was not ok. I once ran out of gas in the middle of the field on the tractor about 1/2 mile from the house-I was too lazy to check the fuel before I went out. Not only did I walk all the way back to the house, but my dad made me fill the gas bucket and carry it back to the tractor by myself. Needless to say I never ran out of gas again. He allowed me to fall and take a few bumps and bruises (both physically and metaphorically), knowing that I'd be better suited for life if I could handle the bumps and bruises it was going to throw at me.

He taught me to speak my mind, not mince words, and the value and power of the word "no". He taught me to value my integrity, and above all else be true to my morals, ethics and beliefs. He also taught me that helping others was one of the greatest gifts we could give. We often had folks who were down on their luck staying in our barn until they could get back on their feet, rather than a hand out he gave them a hand up. Race wasn't relevant-they were people first. He taught me the value of a dollar, and taught me how to keep more of them in my pocket. He taught me that I could do or be anything I wanted, but whatever I did I should love doing.

Above all else he taught me that I could always go to him for advice, and he'd always tell me exactly what he thought even though it may not be what I wanted to hear. Even at my age I still seek out and value his opinion.

 

[DoiInthanon]

Teach them the ability to focus. It is a learned skill, applicable to all facets of life.

A young person that is self aware develops perspective, skills, and empathy.

Effective transfer of knowledge per Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

Excellent thread and thanks to the OP.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
My dad taught me that hard work, no matter what I did for a living, would always pay off. He also taught me not to whine or worry about every minor issue that life throws at us. Rather, if it is a problem that needs to be solved then tackle it head on. If it's a problem that does not need to be solved or is out of my hands then don't be concerned over it.

He also taught me a great deal of independence. At 9 years old I could be trusted to take an Allis Chalmers G out to the field and spend the day cultivating corn. Dad knew it would be done right, and if there was a problem I'd be able to solve it without his help.

He taught me that it was ok to make mistakes, but not learning from those mistakes was not ok. I once ran out of gas in the middle of the field on the tractor about 1/2 mile from the house-I was too lazy to check the fuel before I went out. Not only did I walk all the way back to the house, but my dad made me fill the gas bucket and carry it back to the tractor by myself. Needless to say I never ran out of gas again. He allowed me to fall and take a few bumps and bruises (both physically and metaphorically), knowing that I'd be better suited for life if I could handle the bumps and bruises it was going to throw at me.

He taught me to speak my mind, not mince words, and the value and power of the word "no". He taught me to value my integrity, and above all else be true to my morals, ethics and beliefs. He also taught me that helping others was one of the greatest gifts we could give. We often had folks who were down on their luck staying in our barn until they could get back on their feet, rather than a hand out he gave them a hand up. Race wasn't relevant-they were people first. He taught me the value of a dollar, and taught me how to keep more of them in my pocket. He taught me that I could do or be anything I wanted, but whatever I did I should love doing.

Above all else he taught me that I could always go to him for advice, and he'd always tell me exactly what he thought even though it may not be what I wanted to hear. Even at my age I still seek out and value his opinion.


Your dad sounds like an awesome guy!! Reminds me a lot of mine. My dad will always be my hero.

 

[cjcride]

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

 

[simple_gifts]

BASIC only teaches one how NOT to program.

Unconditional GOTO e.g.

Some additions in NO particular order


Astronomy
Flowers and Fauna. (bird watching)
Rocks
Fossils

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
My dad taught me that hard work, no matter what I did for a living, would always pay off. He also taught me not to whine or worry about every minor issue that life throws at us. Rather, if it is a problem that needs to be solved then tackle it head on. If it's a problem that does not need to be solved or is out of my hands then don't be concerned over it.

He also taught me a great deal of independence. At 9 years old I could be trusted to take an Allis Chalmers G out to the field and spend the day cultivating corn. Dad knew it would be done right, and if there was a problem I'd be able to solve it without his help.

He taught me that it was ok to make mistakes, but not learning from those mistakes was not ok. I once ran out of gas in the middle of the field on the tractor about 1/2 mile from the house-I was too lazy to check the fuel before I went out. Not only did I walk all the way back to the house, but my dad made me fill the gas bucket and carry it back to the tractor by myself. Needless to say I never ran out of gas again. He allowed me to fall and take a few bumps and bruises (both physically and metaphorically), knowing that I'd be better suited for life if I could handle the bumps and bruises it was going to throw at me.

He taught me to speak my mind, not mince words, and the value and power of the word "no". He taught me to value my integrity, and above all else be true to my morals, ethics and beliefs. He also taught me that helping others was one of the greatest gifts we could give. We often had folks who were down on their luck staying in our barn until they could get back on their feet, rather than a hand out he gave them a hand up. Race wasn't relevant-they were people first. He taught me the value of a dollar, and taught me how to keep more of them in my pocket. He taught me that I could do or be anything I wanted, but whatever I did I should love doing.

Above all else he taught me that I could always go to him for advice, and he'd always tell me exactly what he thought even though it may not be what I wanted to hear. Even at my age I still seek out and value his opinion.


Your dad sounds like an awesome guy!! Reminds me a lot of mine. My dad will always be my hero.


x2. Reminds me a bit of mine too. Replace Allis Chalmers with Kubota.. and cultivating corn with mowing a field and things are petty similar. Ran out of diesel fuel more times than I care to mention. It came to the point where I was paranoid and would go back to the house to refuel at about 1/4 a tank. It sips fuel and can mow 5 acres with about that. Lol.

 

[bubbatime]

First thing. It’s never OK to lie to mom and dad. If they do something stupid and get in trouble, they need to tell the parents right away. One way to instill this to tell them that you will never yell at them for their mistakes, that you will be disappointed in their actions, and that you will discuss it with them without yelling or screaming at them. If you yell, scream or harshly punish your kids, don’t expect them to be truthful with you in the future, and expect them to lie to you more often than not.

Money management. Open a stock/mutual fund trading account for the kids. Let your kids manage the trades. Match their deposits (they put in $20, you put in $20.) This gives them an incentive to learn about money, how to save, and the benefits of long term growth and compounding interest.

It’s important for them to have a summer job as early as 12-13, scooping ice cream, farm work, mowing lawns, anything. Too many kids nowadays go straight to college, graduate having never held a job, and then expect a company to pay them $70k-$80K right out the gate. And they have zero work experience and don’t know how to properly integrate into the workforce. Kids need to know the value of working your way up from the bottom and to not expect great things just because they went to college. So what, you and millions of other spoiled rotten kids went to college too.

Don’t over protect your kids. There seems to be a huge uptick in over protective parents these days that home school their kids (to protect them), who don’t let them out of the house, etc. HUGELY damaging behavior on the part of the parents. How do we expect them to become independent thinkers if we make all their decisions for them and don’t let them venture out into the world?

Dangers of society. Don’t let your kids grow up to be sheep. When they are old enough, find the most horrific crimes committed in society and go over them with your children. Teach them that bad people can be anywhere and we need to have a plan of action to deal with them when/if they need to be dealt with. Don’t let your kids become Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom (both gang raped, both anal raped, both tortured, forced to drink bleach, and killed)

Hunting/fishing. If you don’t know how to hunt/fish, learn how to. Being able to harvest game from the land is a great skill to have.

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.” Luke 11:21. I’m not very religious, but I love this passage from the bible. Teaching about weapons, firearms, and marksmanship is one of the most important lessons a father can teach his kids. Attend an Appleseed event (teaches marksmanship) near you with your kids and literally change their lives forever, for the better.

 

[sleddriver]

Good for you! I don't have any kids but I've worked with plenty over the years and with both a niece and nephew. When visiting, I would work on their bikes then we'd go on a ride. (My brother is thumbs at this..). I'd bring my telescope and green laser pointer to point out stars and constellations. We drew the planets and Sun on the concrete using driveway chalk. A 5ga bucket makes a good circle. When they wanted bigger, we'd use string on the chalk. We'd bake cookies, bread and make ice cream.

I've always enjoyed tying and using rope and knots. My nephew quickly forgets about his phone, and video games when I pull out some rope of different color, carabiners, rings and a knot book. I showed him a monkey's fist tied around a mouse ball and he got all excited and wanted to learn how. He's now in scouts so I showed him usefull things related to scouts. One was to quickly tie it to a tree trunk to keep it off wet/muddy ground, prevent constantly stooping over getting things out and making it easier to put back on.

Spending time with them is the most important thing. When it would rain, I'd blow up balloons and we'd play volleyball indoors across the couch.

DeBono wrote an interesting book decades ago called "Teach Your Child How to Think". Critical thinking skills are very important. I don't think kids are taught this today in school, far more emphasis on test taking, etc.

Woodworking is also a great activity. Teach them to be careful of things that are sharp! You can let their imagination go wild with a big box of popsicle sticks and a glue gun: Build a house, fence, ladder, bridge, etc. and also to be careful of hot things.

Great topic!