Equipping Children

My parents have just left to return home after spending two nights with us. Dad had to work on a plane about 1/2 hour from here so they stayed over. We love having these little times with them. We chatter unendingly until they hop in their car and drive off!

This morning over breakfast I ran a set of goals past Mum for her input to see if she felt I was being realistic and if there was anything to add. I want my children to be able to care for themselves and their own home well, with confidence. My brothers and I all left home at 19yo, so realistically, I need to prepare my children for this too!

Here are my goals for our children:

~ Be able to cook a cake without supervision by 11yo
~ Be able to cook an entire healthy meal without supervision by 13yo
~ Be responsible for their own laundry by 15yo
~ Begin learning to sew (with a sewing machine) from 12yo (this is a Grandma task...she'll teach, I'll supervise the practice at home)

The only other thing Mum suggested was to teach them the value of a housecleaning routine. For them that might look like a regular Saturday morning of washing their own sheets and tidying and vacuuming their rooms and so on.

Now that I know where I'm headed with this I feel more relaxed about 'getting my kids grown'. It doesn't seem so difficult now. I can focus on one child at a time with each goal. Even I can cope with this! I'm not gifted as being a teacher.