When I graduated from university, I found myself wondering why a lot of stuff I was learning to function in the real world, were not taught to me earlier. Experience with other kids, and mine convince me I would have had no problems grasping most of it. For instance, it was not until I went on my one year of compulsory national youth service (NYSC), that I learnt how to open and operate a bank account for the first time. After that, strange job aptitude tests confronted me!

The Exact Experience(s) May Vary Across Individuals and Societies.

Many people will at least agree that some things they learned to do after  “finishing school” (what ever that means!), could have been introduced to them earlier.

When students go on internships (called “Industrial Attachment” in Nigeria ), the idea is usually to give them a taste of the real world – in the students’ chosen fields.

However that objective is not always achieved. For instance, students – with the support and cooperation of their parents – may arrange for the child to spend that period in an environment unrelated to his/her formal studies. Typically, it would be a prestigious organisation that pays attractive sums for such temporary assignees.

When such students graduate, the parents may again “arrange” a good job for him/her.

But When Parents Help A Child Too Much, a Dependency May Result When S/he Grows Up

The adult child could become unable to make things happen in life by him/herself!

And that would – in my opinion – be Parenting failure! e.g like a former Lion cub now grown up, seeking the mother’s company to go hunting!

Parents need to expose their kids as early as possible to the realities of the environment they are destined to operate in. Helping them understand what’s happening will equip them to make better sense of the real world. They will use what they learn to take intelligent decisions, towards achieving their own goals.

The benefits they experience will make them do the same thing for their own kids too.

Any parent who thinks his/her job ends with putting food on the table, and paying school fees, needs to think again!

Your most important job as a parent is to prepare that “green-horned” version of YOU to function successfully in society as an adult.

One of the best ways to do that is to involve our kids in a real world dream building exercises directed by us, as parents. Share your dream with them. Let them know relevant plans you have, and find a way to add something they are passionate about into the mix.

Then, as often as possible, take definite action to progress the implementation of that dream.

Each time you do, let the kids know what you’ve done. Then assign tasks you know are likely to excite them, so they can contribute their bit. As time goes on you’ll find they’ll begin coming up with their own initiatives, to take things forward, and will call your attention to it.

Apart from bringing you closer to your kids, this will help your kids learn a lot from you e.g. about planning for and achieving goals in the real world.

And they’ll also learn how you keep the family going e.g paying the bills; planning how to save to buy an important household appliance etc.

By the time they have to do something similar on their own, it won’t be an altogether new experience for them. Even better, when they converse with their peers, they’ll be better informed, and offer useful input – earning respect, and prestige.

That’s one of the strategies I’ve used with my kids for years now. And the benefits have been worth it.

Here’s One Dream We’re Currently Working: My Home Based Brew-Pub Farm Products Products Development (12 photos)

My kids recently informed me they now sell the pineapple PEEL drinks I taught them to make, in the school they attend.

In another week from now, I’ll join them in Nigeria, and will be teaching tem how to make my pineapple peel cakes – without an oven.

When my Home Based Farm Products Brew-Pub opens in a few weeks (if my plans go well), I’ll be using more standard equipment.

But I’m keen to show my kids how to do it using such crude tools because I know it will nurture their creative instincts, and they’ll try many other things.

That’s the key to coaching kids to be creative!

The funds I need to rent the larger property I need for the home based pub have been secured (via successful completion of an international agribusiness research paper, for which I’m being paid).

Once I fix up the place (which will also be home for me and family, when they join me), I’ll launch the brew-pub,

The 12 Photos Below, Show How I’ve progressed With My Pineapple Peels Based Products concept.

I’ve had this dream since 1998!

With time, I’ll be adding products from my intended Rabbit farming micro-business to it.

The roasted rabbit meats that will be sold with drinks at the pub are just one aspect. Another will be the useful handicrafts, that I and my kids will be making using the by-products e.g. rabbits pelt

Read this recent article I wrote about my dream (and how I plan to involve my kids even further).