Teaching independence is difficult without allowing your teens to experience that independence themselves. It’s also difficult because you can’t just kick your teens out of the house for the purpose of teaching them how to be independent.
In his book, 1001 Things Every Teen Should Know Before They Leave Home: (Or Else They’ll Come Back), Harry H. Harrison, Jr. presents you with some things you should teach your teens.
Here are some examples of what your teens should know…
- Adulthood isn’t for sissies
- A six-figure salary takes time, or a college degree
- Self-discipline is crucial in solving life’s problems
- “Growing up takes moving out. And moving on.”
Harrison indicates that studies have shown that of the teens who move out of the home, 50% of them move back in.
You spend so many years taking care of your kids and they grow up to be teens who are ready to move out and move on…do you really want them to move back in and depend on you? Don’t take me wrong, strong family support is important, but teens need to learn to live on their own sooner, or that process may take a long time…
How old were your children when they finally moved out of the house? Where did they learn how to be independent?
Parenting Your Teens Towards Independence [More4 Kids]
