How Would You Invest in Your Children and Their Future?

Our children are our investment for the future. If you are a parent; you only want what’s best for them. You want to at least let them have a chance to survive this tough world that we live in.

It could be a future career, life choices, financial security, overall health and wellbeing as they would come to face life as adults. Above all, we want them to grow up to achieve greatness and find the happiness that they deserve.

This can be quite tough for the kids. It adds pressure to the unseeming expectations of their parents in return for love and affection. At least that is from the mind of the child.

It is shown in how they strive or struggle to impress their parents by performing in school or sports and even extra-curricular activities encouraged by their parents. Perhaps the idea of being loved or preferred is fixed in the goals that we as parents, set for them.

A Parental Oversight

However, a lot of parents don’t realise this. It is almost cultural that we raise our children a certain way in order to see them achieve success. Sometimes, it is for the parents to have something to be proud of. Almost like a validation for doing it right.

That’s fair, but let’s now take a look at how the children are benefitting from this culture.

If you read carefully, it is quite clear that as parents, we make the decisions because our kids are well, minors. They are under our care or perhaps the saying is “under my roof”, so it is only right that they follow our rules.

It is also tough for parents to plan and try to get the kids to follow through with that plan. The fact of the matter is children have now evolved in this technologically advanced world.

It is common to see a child with a gadget in hand and a rare sight would be to see kids taking neighbourhood adventures once they’re done with their homework.

What would a day in a life of a typical urban and semi-urban kid look like?

Their journey would start with schooling and returning home to rest for a bit before heading back to extra classes or tuition. This is if the classes aren’t at night. After the extra learning, they’d either continue on playing computer games, watch YouTube videos or go outside to play if anyone is around to play together.

After dinner, if there isn’t any more tuition, it is likely games before bedtime. It is also quite possible that weekends are also filled with extra curriculars and more gaming. Sounds relaxed enough but it can be quite hectic if you just try putting yourself in their shoes. Perhaps even as hectic as your daily juggling.

The question now is, apart from the mandatory studies, which of the other activities do they really enjoy doing?

Have you asked them? Have you ever had to talk them into participating in those activities? Have they ever told you that they would rather do something else? Have they ever said that they’re tired?

How Do We Know That What We’re Doing is Right?

The ultimate question is that are we spending enough quality time with our children that would allow them to gain experiences that would be useful as they grow up?

Truth is, we won’t really know unless we communicate with them. No doubt our children are far more creative and fickler when it comes to interest. It is our role as parents to enforce some discipline and routine into their lives.

Again, that is fair.

However, how would we as parents invest in our children’s future? Monetary aside, how about their way of life? This cuts deep into their mindset, behavioural patterns and physical actions. Emotional intelligence in children is as important as their IQ and academic achievements.

Are we doing enough to nurture some core values into our children to prepare them for adulthood? What kind of traits would you instill in your children? How would this contribute to their ability to make a difference in the future?

We saw an interview with Maye Musk, who mothered the ever-popular Elon, Kimbal and Tosca Musk, who have all achieved great heights through their careers. Each one of her children are not all thriving in businesses but also champions of making the world a better place through one initiative at a time.

Maye Musk raised children who have become adults with compassion and strived to heal the world. It all started by her giving them a sense of adventure that brought about survival skills and development of empathy.

From an early age, Elon Musk was someone who experimented with spending just to discover one’s ability to live on a certain budget. The level of empathy he has was cultivated since childhood. It is very much a result of good parenting.

Of course, we can’t all raise another Elon Musk. We can however start having experiential activities with our children that can give them experiences to last a lifetime. Experiences that give them more valuable lessons than one taught in a classroom or textbooks. A lesson to carry on into their own future.

Get Ready to Let Them Grow by Letting Go Just A Little

There are many forms of successes if we can give our children the opportunity to grow beyond the cultural norm. Some of us, now parents grew up in such an environment where we were fortunate enough to have a life not restricted by schedules and expectations. Still we grew up in a loving and caring household.

A lot of us are successful in our own ways. Wouldn’t it be something we want for our kids too? To have them create their own future learning from life’s lessons too. How would we now invest in their future?

However, you choose to do this, just be sure to connect with your kids every now and then. Try to keep up as much as you can. Allow them the room to meet you halfway.