It is not easy to parent a child, especially in unpredictable times. Have you tried planning anything in 2020? Has 2021 turned out as you expected?  With so many changes in how we live today and not knowing what we need to prepare our children for, it can be anxiety provoking. Here is how we raise children with the future in mind… 

 

Should we worry about our children’s future? Is there a way to raise kids without worrying about it? When it is more and more challenging to plan for our own future, it can be really overwhelming to think about the future of our children. One of the ways we deal with that anxiety is by clinging onto what we think we can control — our children and their activities.

 

Anytime we try to control children, we risk missing the mark. 

 

That is certainly true when it comes to planning what will be good for them in the future. We deal with our worries by trying to decide ahead of time what specific skills children may need to build. We research clubs and activities to sign our kids up for, and we invest in private lessons so that our children can be ahead for their own sake.

 

But does that work?

 

What really happens when we try to control our children from the place of our own fear is that we become rigid and narrow minded. That’s when we miss the most important things. What we think our children will need in order to be successful, may be far from what they will actually need when they grow up. 

 

We don’t need to follow the latest trends in order to raise children with the future in mind.

 

Instead of focusing on what we cannot predict, we can consider the qualities and skills that will always be relevant. At least for as long as there will be humans! What can we teach our children today that they can benefit from today and in the future? 

 

In this episode I am inviting you to join me in exploring how we can parent with a future-oriented perspective and why it is so important to stay flexible and receptive. We also talk about what to focus on, instead of specific skills.