How Well Do We Prepare our Children for Adulthood 

Something struck me the other day as my three older children are taking to their wings and leaving the family home this could be either going away to university or moving in with their boyfriend/girlfriend. I thought to myself how well have I prepared them for the real world. 

I have always talked openly to my children about anything and everything they wanted to discuss but I have reaslised that there were a few things I have never discussed with them. Of course I talked about sex,drugs and alcohol these issues that are massively important that your children don’t end up going off the rails. 

Now they are forging out into the real world I feel I have not prepared them for the more mundane things in life but are equally as important. 

All of my three older children are very driven and know exactly what they want to do with their lives and a part of that is down to me saying that if you want it you have to go out and get it nobody will do it for you. 

The consequence of that is my oldest has a very good job paying good money. The 19 year old is in university training to be a nurse and my 17 year old son has received an unconditional offer from university to start next September. 

My oldest daughter J has recently moved into a flat with her boyfriend and it has been really interesting how little she knew about the complexities of running a home and organising the paying of bills and all the different things you need to sort out. 

I have had numerous phone calls from her also about cooking because she is simply learning to cook now I could of encouraged to cook years ago The thing is for me that I see myself to blame I didn’t prepare her for this moment in her life because I have always sorted out everything for her which is fine but I should of explained what I was doing which would of been beneficial to her now. 

My 19 year old daughter is in university and she will never go hungry because she learnt how to cook but her money mangerment is not good and her budgeting definitely needs improvement. Again I feel this is down to me I wish. 

All the three of my older children I never gave them pocket money to handle and budget money instead if they wanted something I tended to just buy it in retrospect I wish I had given them pocket money so they would save up if they wanted something I blame myself for not teaching the value of money from a young age. 

My son is 17 years old and is gradually becoming more independent but I wonder how prepared he is for the real world because he is going to university next year and if truth be known he has everything done for him I actually think it’s very important I start to make him doing more for himself. 

Although I feel partly to blame that my oldest three children are not fully prepared in the more day to day things you have to do in your everyday adult life. 

I also think school doesn’t teach how you survive in the real world it’s obviously great that they receive an education but a regular lesson in such things as money management,budgeting and paying bills the things you need to know just to live. 

With my four year old twins I will be approaching it completely differently I will be giving them pocket money which will hopefully teach them the value of money and as they get older that they understand that you have to pay bills to live.

My wife already cooks with the girls so hopefully they will over the years learn to cook and won’t go hungry. 

Are you preparing your children for adulthood I would love to know