How To Raise Smart, Talented and
Responsible Children
By CathyHarrisSpeaks.com,
The Ethical Black Business Coach
http://theethicalblackbusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Dec. 23, 2014
As most of you know one of my target audiences is youth ages 6-18. I have the yahoogroup.com - [email protected] and on facebook I have the group "I Support Youth Entrepreneurs."
If you truly love kids then you need to find a way to work with them. Schools are full of teachers who don't even like children. They are simply there for their paychecks especially after being downsized from Corporate America.
Everyone with a degree went into the educational system and this is why today over 60% of students who graduate from school - read at a 6th grade level (most read at levels 4 or 5 grades behind). If you can't read then you can't fill out a job or college application or start a business. Many of these kids can't write either especially since they took cursive out of schools.
As a single mother, I encouraged both my daughters to attend undergraduate and graduate school out of the state. By the time they graduated from high school, I just needed some 'me time.' However, they would have saved more money by staying in-state so it might not be the right decision for many families.
My eldest daughter loved science and never made below a 98 so I knew she would end up in a field involving medicine. First she wanted to be a Heart Surgeon but she found out they had to stand on their feet too long when they had long surgeries; Then an Anesthesiologist but she found out they have to take out a lot of insurance because many people die on the operating table once they are put to sleep; and then a Dermatologist but it wasn't interesting enough.
Eventually she settled on being an Occupational Therapist where she could be mobile and drive around to meet her clients and she has been able to set up a lucrative career and business in that field. As a former cheerleader for 10 years, she developed weak ankles so she actually selected a career where she could doctor on her ownself - which was a very smart move.
When my youngest daughter first came home from college where she majored in Creative Writing and English, I wasn't surprised when she decided to become an educator. And don't forget most kids will get involved with what they are exposed too.
I gave my youngest daughter her first computer at age 10 and she would disappear in her room for hours writing so as a mother I helped her design her life and career early on. She then won all types of writing awards in school and I thought at one time after she wrote several fantasy fiction stories about kids -- that she would become a children's author but she chose to become a college professor, editor and freelancer instead.
After high school I watched her freelance by writing articles for black newspapers because, like me, she has a great love for black people and a family of writers can truly change the world. After graduate school I even watched her walk away from a mostly large white university up north because of her love for black people. Her goal and calling at that time was to teach high school in predominately black areas because she wanted to help black kids.
She was part of a new educational program in Detroit, MI which targeted low-income students. But because the program was so micro-managed, she realized early on that the program, the school and area was not for her -- so she made a decision to move on.
Both of my daughters unlike the 80% of undergraduates and graduates today are still working in their fields because I worked with them early on to really figure out which direction they needed to go in. I saw in them at least 8 careers apiece that I could have pushed them in -- but they both ended up picking the right careers.
It's up to parents to make sure their children are getting the foundation they need and again that starts at an early age. Parents must prepare students for college at the elementary and secondary levels. Parents need to raise their kids where they won't be afraid to make decisions in their lives whether it's to pick a certain topic for further education or move to another city.
I am proud of both of my daughters and have watched them grow from babies -- to young ladies -- to smart business women. Their transition have been so empowering to me and I stand beside them and totally support both of them.
You can learn more ways on how to help your kids design the lives that they can truly love in my upcoming book "Kids 101: How To Raise Smart, Talented and Responsible Children."
Cathy Harris is an Empowerment and Motivational Speaker and the author of over 20 non-fiction books including the business books "The New CEO: 185 Easy-To-Set Up Businesses for Youth and Adult Entrepreneurs" and "How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Starting Your Own Business." She currently lives in Austin, TX and can be reached through her company, Angels Press, P.O. Box 19282, Austin, TX 78760, http://www.angelspress.com, [email protected]. She is available for health, business and self-publishing seminars and workshops at www.CathyHarrisSpeaks.com.
