Our children learn many things at school, from the different subjects they are exposed to depending on their age, to how to get along with their peers, and the importance of respecting their teachers. But there are many principles that are not taught in school. Luckily, they have us.
Here is a list of the 10 most important things that I am teaching my children in the hope that in the future they will not only be very successful but also always be good people.
1. Love Yourself: In this world full of self-esteem and children on the ground, it is essential for me to teach my children to love themselves, to believe in themselves, and to dedicate time to themselves. The trick is not to raise children who are believed to grow up to be unfriendly adults.
2.Spanish: Since I am raising my bilingual children and their school is monolingual, the only way to make sure they speak, read, and write in Spanish is to teach them at home.
3. Manners: Practically since they were born, I have been teaching them the kind of good manners that I learned as a child: not interrupting when two people are talking, table manners, how to talk to adults, etc.
4.Compassion: Learning to be competitive is a great skill that every child should learn, but learning to be compassionate is important, too, and too often children are not taught about empathy.
5.Latin and Latin American Literature / History / Culture: Again as I am raising bilingual and bicultural children, this is very important to me and I know that they will probably not be exposed to Peruvian, Puerto Rican or Latino literature/history/culture in general in school, so it's my turn.
6.Religion: I grew up Catholic and although I don't go to church every Sunday, I believe in God and in being good to others and I want to teach my children the same.
7. Learning to listen: Obviously, children are taught to listen to their teachers, but I am not completely convinced that they are actually learning to listen and not just to be quiet.
8.Learning to converse: In an age when children communicate via text messages, even if the person they are "talking" to is sitting next to them, it seems that the art of conversation is gone. At home, we always have conversations over dinner and everyone can voice their opinion and talk about their day.
9.Money: I'm not really that good when it comes to money, but that's because no one bothered to teach me. I want things to be different with my children and I am going to teach them not only about saving but also about basic things like opening a bank account, how to write a check, how to clear the checkbook, etc.
10.Happiness: Finally I want my children to learn to be happy. Happy with what you have and who you are because ultimately, no material or personal achievement matters if you are not truly happy.
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