{"id":22274,"date":"2016-04-27T16:19:32","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T20:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/real-life\/?p=22274"},"modified":"2016-04-27T16:19:32","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T20:19:32","slug":"growing-true-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/real-life\/growing-true-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing True Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since our first child was born twenty-one years ago, my husband and I have tried to instill leadership skills in our children. I want my children to\u00a0be impacting\u00a0the world around them in a positive way for many years after I’m gone.<\/p>\n

This starts when your children are young, if you wait until they are “old enough<\/em>” you don’t allow them to develop skills and habits that will help them become great leaders.<\/p>\n

In our family this begins in the home by giving our kids responsibilities (aka chores) at a young age. As they grow older we look for opportunities for them to serve their community by volunteering. We try to find opportunities that allow us to work together as a family, so we can help shape positive attitudes and instill a good work ethic.<\/p>\n

This could\u00a0be something as simple as working around the house, helping a friend\u00a0move, or mowing a neighbor’s\u00a0grass when they are out of town.<\/p>\n

We also participate in community events that allow our family\u00a0to serve in a greater capacity and help our children develop the leadership skills that they will need as they grow older.<\/p>\n

You may wonder, how do chores and volunteering help develop leadership skills? When our children have responsibilities around the house they are given ownership of those responsibilities. After they are able to complete their chores they are in charge of certain areas of the house (room, bathroom, kitchen counters, etc). They take responsibility for keeping those areas clean and organized.<\/p>\n

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Last year we purchased a fixer upper house. All our kids worked on the home renovation. Even Cora could help by peeling wallpaper and doing other small jobs. The level of ownership\u00a0our children have in the house they helped renovate is something that can only be achieved by doing.<\/p>\n

They learned how to manage their time, get jobs done, ask for help, teach others, and work together. They developed leadership skills by working together and finding ways to help out even when they weren’t asked.<\/p>\n

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We also try to get involved in community projects.\u00a0My boys have coached soccer teams, helped the elderly in our community with home repairs, and volunteered at the local food bank.<\/p>\n

Today’s youth want to make a difference. According to a National 4-H Council and Harris Poll, when it comes to their personal role in addressing key issues, most youth (88%) say they believe they can make a difference, they see themselves as leaders (74%) and they feel a responsibility to lead (73%).<\/p>\n

However, only one in three young people says they have the skills they need to be prepared to lead. Half of all high school students report they are not prepared to lead in their life after high school \u2013 for college or career.<\/p>\n

Here are some practical ways our children\u00a0have learned how to be leaders in our home and community.<\/p>\n