10 Smart Skills Every Teenager Should Know

Teen Hugging Her Mother
Photo courtesy of empoweredteensandparents.com.

Here are the 10 smart skills every teenager should know.

1. Wash their own clothes.

2. Cook a meal.

3. Earn their own money.

4. Be in a healthy relationship.

5. Avoid pregnancy and STDs.

6. Understand they’re not the center of the universe.

7. Mind their manners.

8. Be street-smart.

9. See the world in perspective.

10. Ask for help when they really need it.

These 10 smart skills seem pretty simple but teaching them to a hormonal teen might not be too easy. Okay, so it will definitely not be easy. Nonetheless, it is your responsibility, as a parent, to teach these smart skills to your teen.

Numbers 1, 2, and 7 are not as challenging as numbers 4 and 5. Frankly, it may be a little too early to teach numbers 4 and 5 to your ten-year old teen at the moment. However, numbers 3, 6, 8, 9, and 10 should be gradually taught to your child soon as the teen years come in.

Can you just imagine what your teen’s reaction will be when you start teaching numbers 4 and 5? No matter how much you remind your teen of number 7, there will still be a lot of lapses. You sure need a lot of luck and time.

As a parent, you need to discern the right time to teach your child these 10 smart skills. There’s just no way that you can teach the 10 smart skills all at the same time. You’ll just end up irritating your teen. Hence, you need to make sure to impart each of the 10 smart skills at the right time. Slowly, surely, and patiently are the key words.

Your parenting goal during the teen years is to make sure that your child can be independent when the right time comes. If you had been very careful over the years to protect your child, it’s a lot different now. This time, you’re slowly letting go so that your teen can get to know the real world. At the same time, you want to make sure you’re right behind them. You just have to figure out how to juggle the two.

Kathy Lynn, a parenting speaker and a columnist for Today’s Parent has this to say:

“Teaching independence is not something you start when they’re 14.”

She further adds that:

“It starts with having them dress themselves when they’re three, and help pack their bags for camp when they’re nine. You can’t do everything for them for 12 or 14 years and then suddenly change the rules.”

That is something you have to constantly keep in mind as you teach your teen the 10 smart skills.

If you want to learn more about the 10 smart skills every teenager should know, check out this article.

So are you all set to teach these 10 smart skills to your teen?

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