Here are some tips on teaching children important life skills

1. Healthy Habits: I understand it is a constant battle to get your kids to eat healthy. But do not be disheartened and persevere through. Introducing a variety of diet and making healthy eating a way of life from the start develops children's tastes and it becomes even a way of life for them. As a family be active, play sports, swim, take walks together. As you are doing this you are also building memories with your children and at the same time, teaching them to be healthy and active and individuals who respect their bodies even in their adulthood.

2. Home and Maintenance: I understand that most of the households these days have home help and less is required from children to help. Usually clothes are washed and ironed rooms are cleaned and meals are prepared. If your child grows up like this for 18 years of their life and then suddenly they find themselves away in college without maid, cook or driver and of course yourself to help, how are they going to cope?. This is not a problem to address a few days before they leave for university. But instead during their formative years make it a habit for them to clean their rooms, wash their clothes and even help with preparing the meals. It will build character and make your children less helpless at looking after themselves.

3. Interactions with others: As your children go out into the world, they will wander far from the small pond of Colombo that they have grown up in. Daily, new people with different ideas and views will be met. Children should be guided and advised as to how they should interact and live with others. Living with siblings is a great way to practice social interactions and respecting others. Teach your children about respecting people's views and generally being kind to all societies.

4. Money Management: Money management should start early. Make it a practice for children to earn money through chores and spend that money earned wisely. Set goals for long term spending, for example, say your child wants to buy a much coveted toy. Teach him to save. It is best not to teach him that whatever he wants can be given at the drop of a "please can I have"?..but in the real world, it has to be worked for.

Just as we spend much time and effort on making sure our children are educationally sound, we must also give importance to the basic life skills that they should know, which would we useful to them when they are away from us. We might think that we are indeed helping them by doing all that we can, but as the saying goes, “You can give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for lifetime”.