Teaching Children and Learning from Them
Children are definitely the future, so spending time with them can provide a glimpse into what soon-to-be teenagers, then young adults, and then opinion shapers, CEOs, titans of industry, and presidents are likely to think and do.
One of my previous ventures included working closely with children, and though it pains me to point this out, there is an epidemic of multi-tasking, social impression management, and most detrimental of all, a lack of ability to read information and understand it.
Working with children over the course of a decade has taught me about their world, and the most immediate conclusion I have found is that children are fed too many subjects that don’t compound into a coherent whole, thus they have no meaningful impact over the long-term.
It is understandable that children should be taught, but governments are doing a horrible job at it.
I would like, as a new father to a baby daughter born in 2016, to convey lessons I learned while observing children ages 8-18 for over a decade, and share what I plan to implement in my own family with you.
Basics and Specifics
Timeless Skills to Teach Children
**The world is moving forward at an exponential pace. Professions and jobs that are in high demand today weren’t around a mere 20 years ago and will probably cease to exist by the time they become adults. **
The business world is enjoying an abundance of new products, ideas, and ways of doing business and services daily, while hundreds of millions are joining the middle class every year.
So what is the summum bonum (the greatest prize, the ultimate skillset to possess that will be important to teach children today and tomorrow)?
The most important skills in the world are thinking, reading, writing, and speaking. The unfair advantage you can provide your children with is teaching them a multitude of languages.
Thoughts, truly powerful and confident ones, shape the character as they become ingrained.
**The first thing a parent should complement and edify their child about is correct thinking. Broadening their thinking broadens their horizons – that’s done by reading and writing. **
After their ability to “swallow” information and express it is developed, they should learn how to communicate their ideas and wishes to others, becoming leaders and learning persuasion.
Lastly, I always believe that children can only learn by example, so make sure you “walk the walk,” and improve these skills in yourself as well.