Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Works for me Wednesday: Before They Leave Home


Things I want my children to know how to do before they leave home:

1. Look to God for guidance, comfort, strength, joy, ho
pe, love, and acceptance
2. Pray
3. Study their Bible
4. Serve others
5. Be a part of a family - sharing joys and hurts, fun and work; encouraging, supporting, and helping each other
6. Sew on a button
7. Load, unload, and start the dishwasher
8. Wash clothes
9. Change a tire
10. Exercise
11.
Cook meals
12. Light a pilot light on the hot water heater and furnace
13. Feel compassion for hurting people.
14. Safely drive a car
15. Be responsible
16. Shop
17. Mow the grass and other basic yard maintenance
18. Make a bed
19. Clean a bathroom
20. Be considerate of others
21. Study
22. Set an alarm and get themselves up out of bed
23. Budget and track spending
24. Eat healthy
25. Overcome adversity
26. Hang pictures and shelves
27. Write a thank-you note
28. Clean out the refrigerator
29. Manage their anger
30. Set goals and create action plans
31. Tend a garden
32. Gracefully win and lose a game
33. Plan a vacation
34. Pack a bag
35. Pack a car
36. Resist temptation
37. Paint a room
38. Iron
39. Swim
40. Take notes
41. Care for a pet
42. Make a decision
43. Organize their things
44. Love someone that is hard to love
45. Apologize
46. Appreciate what they have
47. Come back home and visit their Momma!

You may laugh at something like #7, but I knew a guy who made it to college and thought the dishwasher detergent went in the Jet Dry hole! The list is long and can be a bit overwhelming; I pray for Divine Help! Having this list does keep things in perspective and works to keep me focused on the things that will matter in the long run!

Please leave a comment with your thoughts on this list! What have I left off? Anything I could remove from the list? I’d love to hear your perspective!

My previous Works for me Wednesday Posts:

Privilege Chart


The Capture Monster

Music to Get Kids to Sleep

Find more Works For Me Wednesday Tips at Rocks in my Dryer.

10 comments:

  1. Hi I'm new to your blog, obviously came here via rocksinmydryer, but I wanted to tell you, your list has inspired me! I think it is great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. oooh...great idea...mind if I copy it? Way to keep it all in perspective.

    (over from Rocks in my dryer) great WFMW tip!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am always saying that I want my boys to know this and that before they leave home. I never thought of actually making a list, though. Thanks for a great guideline!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a great idea! Just a few I would add to my list only because my college roomate had to teach me how to parallel park and drive in flood conditions and icy/snow conditions.

    ReplyDelete
  5. NEVER thought of making a list-- that is neat, and I like your ideas...

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a neat list! In one of our homeschool books there's a list. It has things on it like...fix a flat tire...take care of a cut. That's all I can remember now, but it is full of good things. I do want to raise great men!
    -Kim

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list! Definitely some important things to know!

    ReplyDelete
  8. GREAT list!

    #30 is close. One of the big things I'm teaching my kids is to tackle even the biggest tasks by breaking them up into manageable smaller tasks. That is huge in our house.

    also, #23 is close to another one for us. It's a two part goal: Don't buy something if you can't pay for it (don't buy using credit) and appreciate the things you have instead of focusing on the things you want. Because you will ALWAYS want more.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear what you think!