8 Steps That Will Help You Prepare and Raise an Adult

We live in a world where the media plays a big part in our lives and how we see the world.  Some of the fear that our children may be kidnapped or some harm may come to them can sometimes be explained by how much of what the media says impacts our lives. In the book “How to Raise An Adult”, by Julie Lythcott-Haims writes about how parents often overprotect and over-parent their children so much so that their children may often feel lost once they hit college and are expected to immerse themselves in the “real-world”.  This book provides useful insights on how to prepare and raise an adult.

Here are 8 steps that will help you prepare and raise an adult – taken from “How to Raise an Adult”

1.  Give Them Unstructured Play Time

2.  Teach Life Skills

3. Teach Them How To Think

4. Prepare Them For Hard Work

5. Let Them Chart Their Own Path

6.  Normalize Struggle

7.  Have A Wider Mind Set About Colleges

8.  Listen To Them

This book really has helped take a step back and look at the way I’m parenting my 3 children. I’m guilty of overparenting and doing things for them that I know they are totally capable of doing on their own.   I’ve gained great insight from the tips and stories from this book and plan to start utilizing some of the new knowledge that I have as I continue to parent my children into adulthood.

Here are a few resources to accompany  “How to Raise An Adult”

http://clvr.li/htraa15

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.