5 Things that Help your Children

1. Read to them. This simple nightly ritual will not only bring you closer together, it will help develop their reading skills. Kids who are comfortable reading in schools are generally those whose parents read to them nightly.

2. Pay them. Once they are old enough to ask for money, tie that money to chores. We are not talking about huge things, but the simple things you probably had to do as a kid: keep your room clean, help clean up after meals, put the clean clothes away, rake the lawn, vacuum. Whatever simple tasks that need to be done that can safely and easily be done in an hour or two a week.

3. Teach them. From preschool to grad school talk to them about what they are studying. Help them when they need help. Have them explain it to you when you have no clue what they are talking about.

4. Make them work. Do not dictate what kind of job they have, but make sure that if they are driving, they are working. Not only will they meet a new group of people, they will experience a bit of how the real world operates.

5. Help them, but do not pay their way. Whether they choose trade school or Harvard, make them understand that their future depends on their work. One of the things that reinforces this is making sure they understand the majority of the burden is on their head. Knowing that you are paying for your education makes you pay a lot more attention and reinforces the desire to get up and go to class instead of staying out late to party. If you want to pay for school, pay it off after they are done. Do not tell your kids that you are going to do this or it defeats the purpose.