With each New Year’s ball drop in Times Square, I can’t help but to think of the ball we are dropping as adults when teaching our children the basics. As a society, we are so consumed with making life easier for our children we are forgetting to make sure our youth are learning the most important skill – being self-sufficient. We are a society, who is so accommodating; we are hindering our kid’s ability to complete basic tasks. We are a community, who is so technological savvy; we are not passing on the basic skill of holding a conversation. I remember spending so much time learning the proper typing techniques only to have my own children using acronyms instead of typing out a phrase – LOL, BRB, SMH! Now that I thing about it, they do not even have to type anything because of the voice to text option on all of their electronical devices. We accuse our kids of being lazy, but really they have just been taught in an era of shortcuts. So my New Year’s resolution is to try to remold my kids to be able to function during a blackout!

So as we are waiting for the next New Year’s ball to drop, let’s put our ball in play and make sure our kids can handle a few of my favorites listed below.

How to:

Shake someone’s hand,

Write a thank you letter,

Make scrambled eggs,

Apologize,

Initiate a conversation,

Wash dishes (without a dish washer),

Fix something without replacing it,

Hammer a nail,

Hang a picture,

Wait and save money for something,

Read a recipe,

Read a map,

Budget,

Iron a shirt,

Admit they made a mistake,

Care for a younger sibling,

Eat healthy,

Complete a task,

Make a phone call (not a text),

Take a message,

Balance a checkbook,

Check tire pressure,

Eat at the dinner table without electronics,

Set the table,

Pump gas without an attendant,

Cut grass,

Wash a car,

Get help when needed,

Make an appointment,

Act during a performance,

Show respect,

Trust,

Make decisions,

Compliment others,

Wake up on time,

Pack their suitcases,

Advocate for what they believe in,

Do chores without being told,

Wrap a gift,

Take care of a cut,

Manage time,

Clean the house,

Vote,

Leave a tip at a restaurant,

Change a light bulb,

Make eye contact,

Show effort,

Be kind,

Stand up for themselves and others,

Go the extra mile,

Study,

Be honest,

Listen,

Handle disappointments,

Deal with frustration,

Accept things they can not change, and

How to change something they can!

Here’s to a year of self-sufficiency and success when there is no signal!

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