When it comes to teaching your child skills, you may feel inadequate as a stepparent. After all, you may not know exactly what your role is, especially if your child is spending time in two different homes.
But there are some things everyone needs to learn before heading out on their own. Here are a few basic life skills every teen should know before graduation.
Laundry
You can only wash, dry and fold your teen’s laundry so many times before it becomes evident you’re doing too much of the work your child should be doing for themselves. Your child can work their smartphone, computer, flat panel screen and microwave with relative ease.
There’s no reason why they cannot figure out how to use a washer and dryer.
Cooking
When your teenager hits 13-years old, it’s time to start teaching them to how to become a decent cook. Sure, learning to use a microwave and toaster oven is an excellent place to start.
However, there’s more to cooking than pressing buttons to heat up prepackaged food. They should
- Have command of a knife and know how to chop vegetables,
- Know how to read a cookbook to get some idea of how to add variety to their diet,
- Learn how manage nutrition, as it will lead to healthy lifestyle for the rest of their lives.
Also, this can provide a great bonding opportunity and create some great family memories too.
Self-Defense
If you’re ready for your child to grow up in a big way, then it’s time for them to enroll in a martial arts class. When they set foot in a martial arts studio to learn self-defense, they’ll get a life lesson in hard knocks.
They’ll also learn that life is more than fun and games. They may have to stand up for themselves at some point in a physical way.
It would be nice if they were prepared to face the backlash of deciding that.
Managing Money
Now that your child is of working age, it’s important they learn how to handle their money. Some of their money needs to go into a savings account, some of it needs to go towards personal needs, and some of it should be theirs to do with as they please.
Being able to budget effectively is an invaluable life skill that will one day allow them to afford a car, home and more.
Caring for Their Car
Your child is likely excited to drive. Not many of them fully appreciate what sort of maintenance each car requires.
Even if they do vaguely understand, many are just content to send the vehicle to the mechanic and pay whatever they ask. Fact is, many of the maintenance services mechanics perform can be done by your teen.
Showing them how to fix and maintain their car will save them money, help them find trustworthy mechanics, and more.
Time Management
One of the most important things your teen will not learn in school is how to manage their time. Many of the problems that a teen encounters, homework, studying, etc. tend to be caused or can be exacerbated by, not knowing how to manage their time.
This becomes especially true for a child that splits their time between two homes. It can promote self-control, and help manage stress.
It will also help them in the working world, and even help them if they decide to go on to college.
Your role as stepdad is still important when it comes to teaching your child skills and preparing them for adulthood. Teaching them these skills is an excellent way to bond with them and help them feel more confident about themselves.
