For parents and teachers…There’s a new adversary in town. It’s the auto play.
Entertainment and indulgence have become an automated activity with countdown clocks to the next episode on Netflix, to the next match in online gaming, to the next YouTube video. Even our meals can become automated with the delivery apps that recommend your preferences.
But picture this;
Your baby is now 17 years old and about to walk up on stage and collect their high school diploma. In that moment of joy, you feel that moment of fear seep in as well. What’s next? What are they capable of? What has school prepared them to do? I mean, 12 years is a LONG time to have taken them away and taught them “things”, but what can my child actually do to take care of themselves while also feeling fulfilled and happy throughout their life???
Do they have to go to college now and possibly take on debt? Do I have to take…
I get it, I’m sure many of you are saying, my kid would never fall for that. Well, perhaps, but all kids engage in different ways and have different triggers and that is the point. Gaming is a common thread among all of us but the types of games we like to play are different. Our kids didn’t come with instruction manuals, unfortunately, but through trial and error and engagement, we can figure out what get’s them going.
Of course, what we really want is for them to WANT to make their bed and WANT to clean their room but we actually….
Developing solutions IS a skill and something that we are not born with. It is a muscle that we need to exercise or else we just become complainers and that person who calls the cops because the music from the Ice Cream Mans truck is disruptive.
We ask them to invent a solution to this problem that can be as elaborate as a robot that will make their bed and clean their room on command to a simple clip that will keep their shoes tied and stop them from coming undone. We love their uninhibited imagination and we are consistently inspired by the depth of ingenuity a 7-12 year old possesses. At that age, they don’t think in terms of limits, logistics and “reality”. They just think what would be cool and how it could work. It may sound silly and cute but when you look at someone like Elon Musk, he still holds this type of solution oriented thinking. A skill that NASA, Ford and Toyota lost…
Assumptions have always been my weakness. I make too many. I try to predict other peoples reactions or how a scenario might play out so I can prepare for whatever the next steps are ahead of time. When I am correct, I save time and effort, plus experience internal satisfaction, as we all do, that I got it right!
But for the times I am wrong, sometimes there is frustration or annoyance because my plans have fallen apart and I have to reorganize “the game plan”. A simple example is planning how much food to make when company comes over. Too much or too little. Rarely my assumptions are correct.
Congratulations Isaac! This Inventor/KidPreneur is continuing to take his skills to greater heights and challenging himself by innovating new products for market.
His latest creation, The Marble Run! It’s so fun! Not only is it a marble race or a maze, but it is one you build yourself and can change over and over again!
Inventors are great at making new inventions, whether they are fun or solving a problem. But Isaac is also a KidPreneur because he has learned how to package and sell his inventions as well. In fact, when I first saw his Marble Run, I thought he was ReSelling them! They looked so professional!
“That problem is already solved”, “I already have something like that”, “No one needs another one of those on the market”…..
Yup, we have all found ourselves saying something like that before, I’m sure. Another onion chopping thingy or a new kind of water bottle, there seem to be so many products that all solve the same problem…. or is there?
Meet Nate, Miranda and Vince who I am calling our 2019 Slimers!
Slime is nothing new. We had it as kids and now our kids have it too. Kids love it and for many, they can find relaxation and therapeutic relief from holding it.
Alexa started with us at just 10 years old in our Lemonade Stand Challenge Summer Camp with her brother. Her camp worked hard and was divided girls against the boys. Together, both teams created their own business strategies and launch their businesses to raise funds for the great local Charity, Starfish Pack!
Altogether, these students raised a HUGE $490 in their 1 week camp!!! WOW!
But what about this? What if they do not manifest in these serious ways? What if instead, they simply fear asking for what they want and settle for complacency? What if they fear rejection so much that they decide that it isn’t worth asking for a raise? Or applying for their dream job or auditioning for a headliner role? Maybe they just stick with what is safe and feel unfulfilled for the rest of their life, never really seeing their full potential….
No one wants that for their child, when they are any age. But how can you build resiliency without causing harm? Won’t that be a risk for their young, fragile egos? What if they get hurt?
If you have a long “To Do” list like I do, then perhaps you have a tendency to tackle the easier ones first; build that momentum up and hopefully take on the bigger ones “Later”, whenever that is….
When looking at the world around us, listening to the news or scrolling through my Facebook feed, I can’t help but think that the world can sometimes takes this approach as well. I can buy blinds with a remote that makes them go up and down automatically, buy booties for my dog’s paws and even have the luxurious option of sitting in my car while it runs on a track and a machines washes my car **touchless**, yet we haven’t figured out a way to get clean water to 3rd world countries, and in some cases, even in parts of North America such as Flint, MI. It seems off balanced, no? All of these incredible minds and millions of dollars in spending are being utilized to make our every days lives even more enjoyable, easier and certainly more fashionable.
…. when grant applications open, BizKids Community Event registration unlocks, heartwarming stories of children making a difference in their communities, new program announcements, and so much more!
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