We're raising adults, not children

Dr. Phil said, "The deal with parenting is, we're raising adults, not children." We should teach our children how to be independent. Like teaching them how to do chores, so that when they grow up, they will be ready to go out there in the world.

I do believe in this. Probably because of my personal experience growing up. My parents taught me how to do chores when I was a little girl, even with helpers (maids) in the house. I was 12 when my parents separated. My mother was a single parent and she would sometimes leave me and sis while she worked. I think knowing what do around the house made it easier for me to cope and to be independent. She went abroad when I was 15 and sis and I were living by ourselves when I was 18.

Now, I find myself teaching my children chores while they're young. Not just chores, but doing homework as well. I taught them how to use the dictionary when they want to know what a word means, or how to spell a word instead of telling them the answer myself. It's like the saying, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”