Life Lessons: Lead By Example

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Now that our daughters are in 10th and 6th grade respectively, they are old enough to be taught some important life lessons. It goes without saying that every parent wants the best for their kids. This is especially true when it comes to education. The things they learn in their early years are going to stick with them. Hence, we set them up in the best schools, and even pursue educational activities during weekends.

But, while education is important, it’s not the only thing you need to teach. In fact, the most valuable lessons they’ll learn from you are life lessons they won’t learn in school. These are the things which will take them from children to adults and help set them up for success.

It may sound daunting, but for the most part, we teach our kids these things without realizing. How? By leading by example. Our children learn a lot about the ways of the world, just by watching us. Which is why it’s important for you to set a good example in the following areas.

Work Ethic
There are tons of articles and studies published that argue that millenials are the "entitled" generation. And I can say that our 15 year old most certainly has that mentality, and we are trying to break it. Having the right work ethic is always important. Your kids won’t find success without it. And, their first example of good work ethic will come from you.

As such, it’s important you display the ethics you would like them to carry forward. They need to see you working hard. It may even be worth speaking to older kids about what it’s like in a workplace. Explain the importance of being on time, not abusing attendance policies, going over and above the expectations, and the hours they can expect.

In general, though, they need to see you holding down a job and doing it well. Children who watch their parents thrive in a field are more likely to go on to do the same. If you hop from one career to the other and never settle, you may find that they follow in your footsteps.

Taking Responsibility and Being Accountable
Taking responsibility is sometimes unpleasant, but it’s crucial you step up to show your kids what it means. If they don’t understand responsibility, they may make bad decisions or no decisions at all. Not to mention that they may fail to choose a college or a good career.

It’s important they see you taking responsibility in every aspect of your life. That goes for anything from paying the bills, to preparing for the future by finding life insurance from sites like lifeinsurancequote.co. This will be a fantastic example of facing up to things you’d rather ignore. And, if you do make a mistake, it’s crucial they see you standing up and facing the consequences.

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Time Management

Last, but by no means least, it’s important you show your kids how to manage their time. To do this, you need to have a good handle on your own time management. If this is something you struggle with, look for tips like those found at smartsheet.com.

In a practical sense, your children will be late if you are. You need to get them to school on time and so on. But, even more worrying is the fact that they may develop your bad habits, and continue to be late. Make sure it doesn’t happen by developing a time management system which works for you.