Dear Friends,

Teaching your children life skills is as important as teaching them academics. I have three young adult children, and I have three more children at home. They have all learned how to do things around the house from cleaning and cooking to general maintenance. If they showed an interest in a particular area of home maintenance, I let them take that as a regular part of their care of the home.

For instance, I have one who likes to change the air filters for me at the beginning of the month. Everyone who lives in the house knows how to change these, but this one child changes them for me monthly.

One of the boys really likes to work on engines. He services the lawnmowers and weed eater. He is also learning how to work on a car engine on one of our cars that needed a head gasket replaced.

If you have read my articles for long, you know that one of my sons is a talented chef. He does a lot of our cooking, but I have taught all of the boys how to cook and wash dishes. These are important life skills.

Once one of my children gets a job, we set up a bank account for them. Most emplyers pay by direct deposit, and they need a bank account for this. I teach them how to balance their checkbook. I teach them how to responisibly use a debit card. I am a secondary user on the account, and I can manage the account from my online banking.

If they have a job, they pay for their car insurance and cell phone bill each month. They are taught to tithe to the church.

Each one of my children can do laundry, and they have been taught to wash their bedding weekly. If you are still doing this for your teenagers, you are not doing them any favors. They need to get into the habit of this, so they have a routine when they move out.

Your job as a parent and a teacher is to give your children the tools they will need as an adult. I teach my children how to find the answers to their questions. I teach them basic life skills that will help them take care of themselves and their homes when they move out.

Do you teach your children life skills?

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe windows and mirrors.

My menu plan for Wednesday is veggie taco soup and a salad.