Book Review: Christine Field's Life Skills for Kids: Equipping Your Child for the Real World

During my last day at the Florida Parent Educators Association, I was browsing the vending hall one last time, soaking in any last minute books or resources to add to my wish list for the following school year. What I found was the book from Christine Field, "Life Skills for Kids, Equipping Your Child for the Real World". Seems simple enough, but it seems we all need some occasional reminders on how to reinforce these skills that should be taught at home.

While this book isn't necessarily geared towards the homeschooler, it does offer some valuable information to all parents with children, that we expect to grow into adults who can care for themselves.

Christine Field offers a maxim of maturity that can be taught and are cumulative to one another. Each maxim is covered in its own chapter with great ideas that explore ways to not only introduce each of these foundations we hope our children to have, but for us as parents to enforce and make not only our children, but us responsible for the outcome.

Below is a listing of each maxim. Keep in mind that Christine Field isn't describing that these maxims be taught all at one time, but these are maxims as parents we should teach our children for them to better understand the "real world" and skills they need realistically as they age. Children that are three years old aren't going to be able to handle maxim fourteen all on their own. They will if we as parents continue to reinforce the maxims, keep our children involved in learning the maxim's and model the behaviors.

Maxim One: Responsibility beings in the small things and should be timed well.

Note that children of young age can still be helpful to parents at home. They usually willingly assist in many activities if you give them a chance.

Maxim Two: Children must learn to get along with others and to resolve and manage conflict on their own.

I don't know about you, but I have two small boys who on a bad day, really get at each other's throat. I plan to implement the ideas in this chapter, one being for the siblings to think of and write five nice things they can do to share that they care about their sibling. I thought this was a great idea and a way to show that each of my boy's does care about each other and that instead of being mad at each other, they can participate in these simple tasks instead.

Maxim Three: Everyone lives somewhere. We need to take care of that place and make it a haven to nourish ourselves and others.

Christine has a great method of tracking chores children complete in the home, to build confidence and show the kids that if you work together as a team, you have more time together as a family to have fun.

Maxim Four: It's a big and sometimes uncertain world out there, and our children need to navigate it safely.

Maxim Five: We are given only a certain amount of time. We have to use it wisely.

I love that Christine mentions that if children are ever bored in her home, she finds something for them to accomplish. While my boys have never said that they were bored, I definitely plan to use the ideas shared in the book (to accomplish chores around the house) if they ever speak of boredom.

Maxim Six: We all work and live in a physical space. We need to manage that space.

When our children learn how to live within their means physically in a home, they can take this skill anywhere they go in their life. This was a great chapter for me to read as I like to keep my home organized, but should be sharing some of this responsibility with my children.

Maxim Seven: Things break and need maintenance. The more we can learn to do on our own, the more self-reliant we will be.

Maxim Eight: Much of life involves money. Either we learn to handle it or it will handle us.

This chapter has some great ideas to involve the family in helping to use money wisely, from having younger kids help clip coupons to having older kids help plan menus and shopping lists within a certain budget.

Maxim Nine: Each of us has only one body. We have to take care of it.

Maxim Ten: A brain is a valuable thing. We should aim to make it work at peak performance.

She goes back to the thought that no one should ever be bored. We can all find something meaningful to participate in our lives and maximize our time.

Maxim Eleven: If God is not at the center of our life, it will ultimately be unsatisfying.

Maxim Twelve: We must make lots of decisions in life. The more decisions we make, the better decision makers we will be.

Christine shares how to include family members in making decisions to teach them to make decisions and then depend on them (in the learning process) to help make decisions. Younger children can help make decisions about what might be served for lunch while older children help make lunch. I like that she gives many suggestions on including the whole family in making decisions or having children participate while parents' negotiate and make decisions in the best interest of the family.

Maxim Thirteen: All of life involves creativity. From artists to accountants, we can all develop and nourish that creativity.

Maxim Fourteen: Rejoice and be glad! This day is all we have.

Be happy. Have fun with your family and teach your child skills that they will need as they mature.

I love that Christine shares even faults of her childhood and shares skills that she wasn't prepared for herself. I'm sure we've all had skills in life that we didn't pick up as we should have, but we all have opportunities as parents to help our children learn from our own mistakes.

I believe this book to be a great starting place and resource for every parent, including myse