Here’s where I get all ranty. If you’re not in the mood to listen to a rant, tune out right here. Ready? Go.
My husband is back at school. He is a teacher. From all of the media outlets this time of year, I hear many murmurings about our education system. Most of what I hear is blame placed squarely on the curriculum, or often on teachers themselves. Our system is failing our children, they say. Everything from lack of budgeting skills to drugs is the part of the failure of the educational system and must be addressed by that system.
I say sure, we need to teach our children about budgeting and healthy living. It’s important to instill good values in our children. However, my question is this: when did this become the role of our daycares, our preschools, and our schools? While these institutions are all important parts of our community and definitely have a role instilling values in our children, there’s another institution that is often missing from the equation. In my mind, this is the most important institution of all. It’s called the family.
When your preschooler watches you compare prices in the supermarket or make meals from scratch, he’s learning a little bit about budgeting. When you join the allowance debate, that teaches money management as well. When your small children help you prepare food, that teaches them about nutrition. And yes, when your preschoolers ride a bike with you, have a snuggle or go for a hike in the woods, that teaches them about healthy ways to reduce stress and increase feelings of well-being.
I know that it’s a struggle to spend time with family, and I know that some families do truly struggle. I feel it too. We all struggle to make ends meet, both in the areas of money and time with family. Yet sometimes it feels like we’re forgetting about the time we spend with our children, forgetting that we are the foundation of our children’s future. It’s easy to blame others for what we didn’t have time to do with our children. I’d like to see us supporting each other to be better parents who instill good values in our children instead of complaining that others have forgotten to transmit those values to our kids.
Ok, you can unplug your ears now. The rant is over.