Learning Also Occurs Outside the Classroom
Your student may be expressing a desire for independence. However, your teen’s opinion of independence might not exactly match yours, so it may be an ideal time to align philosophies.
Why It Matters
- Every action has a consequence.
Additional responsibilities go hand-in-hand with independence. Adults are very familiar with this concept, especially when considering life events such as career, marriage, parenthood or home ownership. It may be easy enough to initially embrace the idea, but the ongoing responsibilities must be thoughtfully considered as well. Buying a car is only the first step in ownership — there is insurance and licensing and maintenance to pay for as well. - There will always be household tasks.
Maintaining a household is a string of endless duties — laundry, cooking meals, cleaning, paying bills, arranging schedules and vehicle maintenance. Shouldering all of them is stressful and exhausting. An effective leader knows how to delegate. If your student is asking for more liberties, such as more time with friends or car access, now is the time to negotiate a few trade-offs. - Starting early is beneficial.
The phrase “it’s never too early to start” applies to life skills as much as it does to academics and financial habits. Involving your student in daily household management tasks at this age sets a strong foundation for becoming a self-reliant and confident adult.
What Your Student Can Do Now
- Offer to help.
Your student’s desire for independence can be the catalyst for offering to help with one or more household duties. Your student may already have an idea about which task he or she can now assume, most likely playing to strengths and abilities your student already exhibits. - Take initiative.
Encourage your student’s initiative to take care of something without being asked, whether it’s putting away clean dishes or taking care of pets. Express appreciation for the effort, despite it possibly not being done as you would normally do it.
What Your Student Can Do Later
- Make it a regular habit.
If your student has assumed a household task with competence, acknowledge the contribution and take it off your list of daily duties. Explore others your teen can take on without affecting school activities and study time. - Involve other family members.
Your student’s responsibilities set an example for other family members. Encourage your student to involve younger siblings in more simple tasks around the house. If inclined, create a job board with occasional incentives and rewards. One reward may be the additional time that can now be spent as a family doing fun activities rather than household duties.
What You Can Do
- Make a list.
Show your student the household duty list and discuss how some may not get completed every day, based upon other family members’ activities or responsibilities. Parents who work outside the home, even when working from home, have limited day or evening time to accomplish tasks, especially when a student or school event is scheduled. Explain the time each task requires and ask your student which one(s) they are willing to do. - Become the teacher.
Teaching your student how to make a meal or do a load of laundry can be very gratifying, and the one-on-one time with your child is even more valuable. Make sure your time together isn’t rushed, so your lesson isn’t interrupted and the result is of high quality. - Determine the reward.
As your family’s CFO, you can decide if your student’s contributions deserve a monetary reward. As a family, discuss if everyone’s contributions are instead expected and rewarded in other ways such as the annual family vacation that’s taken or the regular deposits that are made to savings accounts or 529 college savings plans. Family vacations can enhance classroom learning, depending upon the location, provide driving and car maintenance practice for the new driver, and offer the opportunity to explore colleges that are being considered.
Registration is open now for a scholarship for Iowa high school students, not just seniors. The scholarship awards $1,000 College Savings Iowa deposits, which can be used when your student is ready to pay educational expenses. Register at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/ScholarshipSignUp.
Next Steps
Be sure to complete the survey questions at the end of this article to be entered into the 529 deposit giveaway!
Additional references, handouts and talking points are available in the right sidebar to use at your leisure. They may prove beneficial to reference now or after receiving future emails – we’ll leave it completely up to you. Use our emails like a recipe for a successful outcome — assemble the recommended ingredients and then follow accompanying directions to add flavor and depth.