In the wake of the tragedy of this week, I have been thinking. We know that we need to equip our teens with tools and know how to make in the real world, but often those skills are things like balancing the check book, basic cooking skills or how to do their laundry. All of these things are important, but are we forgetting some key skills as parents and as a society? I think we are.

Here are thirteen things I think are just as important as knowing how to boil water:

1. You can’t always be first
2. You can’t always win
3. Not everything in life will be easy
4. How to deal with bullies, mean people and rude people
5. How to cope with the end of a relationship or break up
6. How to resolve a dispute with a teacher, boss or other superior
7. We all make mistakes and can learn from them
8. How to ask for help
9. Signs that a friend or loved one may be suffering (from an addiction, depression, etal)
10. How to make decisions by weighing pros and cons
11. Not all gratification can be instant – some things are worth the wait
12. Everyone has something to contribute to society – it just might take a little exploration
13. How to be a good friend

What did I miss? Do you know of other essential life skills that you think today’s kids are missing?

For more Thursday Thirteen posts, visit the main Thursday Thirteen hub. Did you do a TT post? Be sure to leave me a comment so I can come visit your site, too.

Post from: Blisstree

13 Things We Need To Teach Our Teens