12 Life Lessons To Teach Your Child Before They Turn 12

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I have 3 adult kids and 3 kids under the age of 13. For the most part, I think my husband and I did a decent job raising and molding our first set of kids. They are kind, successful, level-headed, polite to others, can survive on their own and know how to form their own opinions. Of course, we are not perfect parents, but we do try and learn from our mistakes so that we can better ourselves. We try to incorporate everything that we have learned over the years when we parent our younger girls because it’s important for us to raise successful and respectable kids.

It’s not easy being a parent because some days your kids think you’re the best person alive and the next minute they think you are dumb as mud and a nuisance. With that said it’s important that you not give up with teaching your child life lessons that they will benefit from as adults. Never think that your child is not listening and always talk to your child but not lecture and always listen to them with an open ear and mind. If you do this, then you are on your way to raising amazing kids.

12 Life Lessons To Teach Your Child Before They Turn 12

1. Kindness– It’s not always easy to be kind to others but an important lesson to teach your kids is to do their best to be kind to everyone, even when they are not kind to you. Teach them to greet others, use their manners, compliment others, speak kindly about others and still be kind to those that are not kind or welcoming to them.
2. Commitment– This is an important lesson that can be taught very early in life. Too often my girls will agree to play a game together and before the game is over, often times my youngest will quit. This is a huge lesson that is constantly taught at the House of Fauci’s. If you agree to do something, it’s important to follow through with your commitment. It’s just the right thing to do.
3. Forgiveness– From my experience as an adult, I know that the life lesson of forgiveness can be a hard one. It’s important to teach your kids that life is precious, too short and that all people make mistakes. Teach them that holding on to anger and frustration towards others is not healthy and does not help with living a peaceful life.
4. Responsibility– As I said before, we are human and we all make mistakes. It’s important to admit when we are at fault and not make excuses for our actions.
5. Thankfulness– I am not sure if this lesson is easier to learn as you get older but it’s important to start teaching your kid’s thankfulness as early as possible. Too often I will hear one of my daughters complain that her friend was gifted this or that for her birthday and why can’t she have one. After I breathe and count to 10, I will calmly explain to her we need to be thankful for the important things we have such as each other, life, food, clean clothing, water and be appreciative of the extras that we are blessed with. I will admit that after I give her this speech she will not respond how I hope, but I have to remind myself that she is still a kid.
6. Consideration– Teach your kids that they are not the only person on the planet and that their actions could have an effect on other people around them. One way to teach younger kids about this life lesson is by explaining to them why we do not yell and run around at a restaurant or store. You can always teach them examples of consideration by explaining the importance of sharing.
7. Determination– In life, it is too easy to give up. As parents, it’s our job to teach our kids to try and put their minds towards what their goal is no matter how big or small it is. My youngest child is used to everyone helping her or taking over any task that she is struggling with, so before she started school I made a conscious effort to stop. While it’s okay to ask for help, I wanted her to learn not to give up so easily and to learn that with determination most things are possible.
8. Independence– When my kids are a certain age and can understand the meaning of my words, I always tell them that when they are older, before they fall in love and get married they need to learn to live independently. It’s important to teach your kids what being independent means and the importance of it.
9. Acceptance of Others– Kids, for the most part, do not have a problem accepting others. Sadly kids start to have a problem with this life lesson as they get older, so it’s important to continue to remind them and to practice what you preach.
10. Respectfulness– This is a broad life lesson. In addition to being polite and courteous to others, I teach my girls to be respectful to others that may not share the same thoughts and opinions as them. It’s okay not to think the same but it’s important to respect the opinions of others.
11. Giving Back– I am a big believer in giving back to those that are less fortunate than myself or who are struggling. This is a life lesson that I was taught when I was young and I am constantly teaching this to my girls. Kids can give back by volunteering at a food bank, donating canned foods, saving their allowance and buying toys for kids whose parents may be struggling and so much more.
12. Live, Love and Laugh– One of the most important lessons you can teach your child is to Live each day like it’s their last, Love everyone because they are God’s children and Laugh because it feels good.

As parents, we have 1 chance to teach and mold our kids to become respectable adults and we only have a short period of time to do this. I’ve never met a perfect parent but as I stated above if you talk to and not lecture your child, listen to your child with an open ear and mind you will be on your way to raising an amazing kid that will turn into an amazing adult.

What life lesson can you add to my list?

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Take a look at this parenting post. I talk about Teaching Our Girls How to Be Inspirational Women: