What I Want My Children to Know

These are some non-religious things that I want my children to learn.

1. How to Take Life Slow.
     These days our lives our really fast paced. People own multiple cars, computers, cell phones, credit cards, video games, etc. People want instant gratification because it's possible and they've had it their whole lives. People are more lazy because of it I believe. Back in the 1940's my great granddaddy walked two miles, both ways to American Fork High School every day. In order to talk to someone, you talked face to face, or called them up on the telephone. You heard their voice. Life was more personable.
     I want my children to know how to work for the things that they want. I want them to know how to just sit back on the porch, watch the wind blow and talk about nothin. I want them to enjoy life. I don't want them to miss it because they're moving so fast all the time. You gotta know how to take walks and go fishing and visit grandma after school because you ain't got nothin better to do. I think that's so important. I think people forget to enjoy where they are at the moment, because they're too busy worrying about what's going to happen next. Wherever you are, be there. One of my pet peeves is when someone pulls out their phone and starts texting someone while they're with you. I think whoever you're with, no matter who they are, deserves your full attention. It stinks when you're trying to talk to someone, and you realize they're only half listening to you because they're too busy texting someone else. That shows lack of social skill and grace.

2. Be Kind, Care About Others
     In english our teacher told us this story about a little boy who went on a walk with his mom. A man they knew started walking toward them and the mom stopped and began talking to him. The boy who thought the man wasn't worth his attention walked on and started playing with a stick down the street. After the man left the mother walked up to her son, crouched down, looked him square in the eye and said - "Boy, let that be the last time you ever walk past someone without saying hello."
     It's like those times when you're walking down the hallway, and there's only one other person walking toward you, and it gets all awkward because you don't know what you're going to do when you get close to them. Then right as you walk past each other someone pulls out their cell phone and the other person looks the other way. That's so lame! I mean just say hello! Or smile! I mean what's the worst that could happen? It's not like they're going to beat you up for smiling.
     The most important person is always the other person. I want to teach my children to really learn how to listen to people. They need to know that the person who matters most is whoever they are with. Know how to ask questions, know how to be genuinely interested in what the other person has to say. Make the other person feel like a million bucks!
     Be kind, don't criticize others, don't gossip. Say hello to who you sit by in class. Include others. Pay attention to those who need someone to talk to. Respect others. Respect their elders.

3. Work Hard
     I want my kids to know how to work. Work for the things that they want. Work before they play. But not too much though. I'm not going to just hand them everything. They need to know how to do stuff for themselves. Make their own decisions. I'm not going to be one of those over-protective moms either. It's alright to screw up and make mistakes, that's how you learn.
     I want to teach them life skills too, like how to fix cars, and use a hammer. How to sew and cook and clean. How to garden, how to take care of an animal.

4. Hobbies/Have Fun
     I want them to find something that they love and to go out and do those things. The most interesting people are people who are interested in doing things. People who can do things. It's never fun when you ask someone what they like to do and all they say is "I don't know." I don't want them sitting on the couch all day watching TV. I want them to play sports, do crafts, bake cookies, paint, hunt, play an instrument - whatever! I just want them to get out and do stuff.
    But it's also important to know how to just chill and have fun. Sometimes it's alright to just do nothing. Sometimes that is the best thing to do! You have to know how to relax.

Maybe I'm kind of old fashioned, but those are some things that I think are really important.