As a mom, I often look at my children and envision them in two different ways. At times, I look at their faces and am instantly transported back to the days of diapers, baby steps, and first words. This pulls on my heartstrings and reminds me of the growth our family has seen over the years. Other times, I am propelled into the future, trying to imagine their faces and lives 10, 15, dare I say, 20 years down the road.

Both are simultaneously incredibly beautiful and hard to believe.

But the difference is that when I look back, I can see the changes and growth that has brought us to today. But the unknown future holds many opportunities and moments.

And to me as a mother, the moments yet to come hold so much power and potential to truly make an impact on who they are.

We have the opportunity to raise successful kids.

To help shape them into decent human beings.

To teach them the fundamentals of life.

To leave a legacy that I can pass on.

Truly, for me, there is no greater gift or purpose in life than to be a parent that can leave a legacy for their children to emulate.

I want to lead by example, to pass on the best parts of me, passing on traits along the way that help to round out a fully developed adult. My desire is that I will help my children learn valuable lessons from their experiences in life. I want to leave my children with the life skills and passions that make this world a better place.

For most people, this means 18 years old: out of high school, entering adulthood, often times out of the house.

But, can we be real? When has any 18-year old ever been a fully developed adult? While an incredibly important milestone, 18 is simply the age they BEGIN to become an adult.

For me, I am not expecting my kids to be fully functioning, highly successful human beings by age 18. I’m willing to give them some extra years to develop and grow.

My hope is that by the time they are out of the house, going to college, or getting jobs, that they are on their way to leaving their own legacies for their own families–taking pieces of me along the way.

So how do we do this? How do we make sure our kids evolve and grow into capable adults? How do we raise successful kids ready to face the real world?

It’s all about operation: life skills–and it’s our job to teach them!

It is never too early to begin teaching valuable life skills. As each child grows in their abilities and understanding, we can use our time together to teach them.

We can teach our children how to cook different meals based on their abilities in the kitchen. We can teach them to mow the lawn and do the laundry. As your child gets older and starts to drive-–gasp!–learning how to change a tire, pump gas, and check their fluids are things that every person needs to know.

And it’s not just about skills to help you survive; life skills are also interpersonal and social. Learning how to look someone in the eye when speaking is as important as learning how to boil an egg. We should also teach them how to write a resume and how to present themselves at a job interview.

And finally, let’s not forget about teaching our children the importance of volunteering. From picking up litter to manning the boxes at a food drive, there are thousands of ways to give back. By raising children that understand this, we are helping to raise a kinder future together.

Listen, being a More Mom isn’t easy, and I know we will all go through our own peaks and valleys in parenthood.

But the goal is still simple isn’t it? By the time our journey as a parent hits a certain milestone, we want our children to be ready and able to contribute to society.

To be better than we were.

To build a stronger workforce.

To offer more to the future.

To help make this world bigger and brighter for everyone.

Our hope is that they will be the adults we envisioned 20 years prior one warm, spring morning as they smiled excitedly from the old swing set out back.

We somehow managed to raise successful kids, and now we get to enjoy watching them flourish as adults.

Oh, what a moment that will be.

Want my free tool, Family Responsibilities & Life Skills Chart, to help you implement these ideas today?

It’s full of suggestions for various daily tasks and life skills for your kiddos to learn, and a chart that you can print and use for each member of the family!

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