How to Prepare Your Children for the Future

From a friend who found this quote on an Internet list:

Support current interests. Childhood is not about preparation for adulthood it is REAL LIFE right now. Treat it that way.

Luckily - supporting real life interests right now and providing for a happy, rich, stimulating, supported interest-filled life, IS the best way to prepare for the future because the characteristics that are important for future success are:stamina, positive outlook, confidence, enthusiasm, and JOY of living and learning. The academics can ALWAYS be learned and amazingly quickly when the motivation is there. But if a child grows up discouraged, believing learning is "hard," pessimistic or even cynical, that's hard to overcome.

I decided early on that I wouldn't worry about WHAT the kids learned or HOW MUCH they learned. I'd focus on making sure that at least I didn't turn them off to learning. In other words, better if they learned no math at all than that they learn to dislike it.

If they don't learn it, they can always learn later. If they learn to hate it, it is going to be very difficult for them, later.

That different focus made all the difference in the world.