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My teenager is now in 10th grade, and it’s hitting me hard. Soon she will (hopefully) be out in the world with much more independence as she begins college and her own adult life. While I am thrilled for her, it’s also scary to think of my once-tiny child as a responsible, contributing member of society. It’s not that I want her to stay a little girl forever. I just thought it would take a little longer for her to actually be grown.
Since we’re a few short years away from her first ventures out of the nest, it’s a priority to help her become more self-reliant. This isn’t something that can happen overnight, as you’ll likely agree, so we’ve been taking baby steps since she was a tween. Here are some of the things I’m focusing on this year.
Driver’s License
I still have to think about how to spell “license” sometimes. Still, she needs one. I consider it my parental responsibility to teach my children how to be independent; being able to drive is an almost crucial step toward that goal. It’s also a safety backup plan. What if she found herself in a situation where she needed to drive, but didn’t know how? Then that’s on me. It takes time, patience, and a whole lotta prayer, but we’re in the throes of student driving these days. We bought some Student Driver magnets that go right on the car during her practice. People have been a lot more considerate since we started putting these on the car!
Cooking
My kids enjoy cooking, which has become quite a relief for me. I did not enjoy cooking when I was their age and therefore never really learned how until I was an adult. My daughter started with basics like ramen noodles, then wanted to try HelloFresh meals. Those went great, and now she creates her own concoctions. I’ve been so proud of her efforts in the kitchen! Recently, she also started doing some of the grocery shopping during the week. She makes the list, goes into the store with my credit card, and loads it into the car. It’s a totally doable task for a teen, yet not something I did until I was on my own!
Alarm Clock
Of these three topics, the alarm clock is the biggest issue for us. We have to get up early due to our long commute. Oversleeping puts a big stumbling block in our day. I’ve tried several alarm clock with various degrees of success. Since both of my kids love music, I know they’ll enjoy this waterproof alarm clock bluetooth speaker from AncordWorks. It’s hard to decide if we should keep this in a bedroom or in the bathroom.
Make sure you dig around in the box to find the little manual for this speaker, because it’s not very user-friendly if you don’t know which buttons to use. It did work perfectly once I read the instructions!
Giveaway
One lucky reader of the School Savvy giveaway hop will win a $10 Amazon gift card! The giveaway is open to WW readers ages 18+ who can receive an Amazon gift code via email. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck!
Mama the Fox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.
I think I would use it towards some Schwartz probiotic
The drivers license in concept though they don’t have their own car so still am the driver
I might buy a book.
I’d like to buy a Rubbermaid Leak-Proof Chug Water Bottle, 24 oz.
I would love to put this towards a pair of compression stockings.
What helped me become self reliant is that I am the oldest of a large family. If I needed something or needed to get somewhere I had to do it myself. Also I was relied upon by my siblings and parents for help for them.
I would get my dad a Space Force tshirt
I would get some skin care products.
If I won, I would buy the Delicate Initial Disc Necklace
Travelling alone. Nothing teaches you self-reliant better than travelling alone to other countries. If you’ve never done it then you’ve never actually experience life itself. Travelling alone helps you out of your little bubble and allows you to experience the world in its authentic way.
I would buy a toy for my cat.
What made me self reliant was my mom who taught me how to manage money,pay the bills,cooking,taking care of everything and later I took care of her for 17 years.
I’d like to put it towards a silk pillowcase.
I’d buy books
I would use the gift card toward mats for my sons truck!
I feel more self reliant by leaning myself to do things,before asking for help,just go for it!
I’d buy something from Amazon wish list. Thanks!
I would use the gift card to buy new headphones for running!
What helped me become self reliant was learning how to do various tasks such as checking my tire pressure on my car, learning how to check the car oil, learning how to do my own laundry, etc.
what helped me become self reliant was having to be. necessity is the mother of inveention
i need a new garbage can and amazon has nice ones!
I would like to buy a new backpack.
mom
Understanding myself has helped me to know that I am the one to depend on.
I became more self reliant when I realized that if something was to get done – laundry, school projects, study, getting to class on time, etc. – it was up to me to do it promptly.
I would use it toward flannel sheets. Going to need them soon enough.
I was always independent. Knew what I should be doing & didn’t need much direction.
My first job helped me become self reliant. I learned how to make money and save money .
It is how I was raised 🙂
I have a pair of these ODODOS Power Flex Yoga Capris Tummy Control Workout Non See-Through Pants with Pocket in white and they are awesome. You can’t see through them at all and they are not too tight, very comfortable. I would like several other colors as well.
Being the oldest of twelve children helped me become self reliant.
heres what I would get and thats a doll for my kid to go with all the other ones shes got.
The love of my mom ad kids
I had some really good friends who helped me become self reliant.
Getting a job as a teen helped me become self-reliant. I bought my own clothes, extra school supplies, books, record albums. I learned about budgeting and saving up for things I wanted to buy.
My Mother was a single mother and I was the oldest of five girls. She taught me how to cook, how to clean, and how to do the laundry. I watched her struggle making ends meet so I learned that if I wanted something I had to work for it.
The biggest thing that made me be self reliant was when I no longer went to daycare and had to get myself up and on the bus in the mornings.
You have to take care of yourself when there’s no one else there to do it.
I found that going thru uni made me more self-reliant… I learned how to do just about everything by myself.
Mishelle
Just trying my best and learning from my mistakes.
I became self reliant early on because my family is non-supportive.
I’d probably go with a book or comic book from my wish list, but I’m still wondering how self-reliant I actually am… when you have to do it yourself, you probably learn really quickly.
What helped me become self-reliant was my want to be independent!
Getting a job and driving were the two big things that made me more self reliant as a teen.
I think the biggest thing that helped me become self reliant is when I decided to get my own apartment… it was hard, but a good move.
Not having anyone but myself to rely on on a daily basis made me self-reliant. I live alone so if I don’t figure it out, no one will;!
Learning by watching, imitating and following the advice of my parents helped me become self reliant.
Learning how to take the city bus kind of made me self-reliant. It’s still a little scary to do on my own, but nothing bad has happened.
I would buy an Amazon Fire Stick.
My dad believing in me and telling me I could do anything.
Thanks for the contest.
Mom’s instilling of independence!
Being the oldest sibling of 5 made me become self-reliant at an early age as my mom had to take care of the younger siblings.
Necessity helped me become self-reliant.
I didn’t have any parental support growing up and I had to raise my siblings, so I became self-reliant at a very young age.
My dad helped me become self-reliant.
Aww.. there’s already a winner.. Congrats! Will wait for next time