Online Reporter
Parents, the greatest inheritance we can give our children is not money alone, but the skills, discipline and work ethic to create wealth for generations.
As parents and guardians, one of our greatest responsibilities is to prepare our children for life beyond the classroom. Academic education is important, but education alone cannot prepare a child for everything life will demand from them. Our children also need practical skills, discipline, responsibility, independence and a strong work ethic.
With our children currently enjoying their school holidays, this is an opportunity for parents and guardians to turn the home into another classroom.
Let us teach our children to work with their hands.
We should teach them how to cook, wash dishes, sweep and mop the house, wash clothes, clean bathrooms and keep their surroundings tidy. We should teach them how to clean the yard, cut the lawn, plant trees, make gardens, grow vegetables and take care of the food we produce.
These may appear to be simple household chores, but they are important life lessons.
Sadly, we are seeing some young people reaching adulthood without knowing how to perform basic household tasks. A young person can spend years in school and obtain impressive qualifications, yet
struggle to cook a simple meal, wash clothes or maintain a clean home.
This is something we must seriously reflect on as parents.
There is nothing wrong with wanting our children to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers,
accountants, entrepreneurs or other professionals. We must encourage them to dream big.
However, while preparing them for professional careers, we must also prepare them for everyday life.
A child who knows how to cook is not less educated.
A child who knows how to clean the house is not being punished.
A child who can cultivate a garden, cut the lawn or wash clothes is not being prepared for a lesser life.
Instead, that child is being prepared to become an independent and responsible adult.
We must also teach both boys and girls these skills.
For too long, some families have treated cooking, cleaning and household responsibilities as women’s work.
This approach is no longer helpful. A boy should know how to cook and clean just as much as a girl should. A young man should be able to look after himself, just as a young woman should be able to look after herself.
We are not teaching our sons to cook and clean because they will become husbands. We are teaching them because they are human beings who must be capable of taking care of themselves.
The same applies to our daughters.
We should not raise girls with the expectation that they will carry every household responsibility when they get married. Marriage should be a partnership where both people contribute, support one another and share responsibilities.
This is particularly important when we consider the future of marriage and family life.
We sometimes hear of young couples struggling because one partner has no practical household skills. Imagine two people getting married and discovering that one of them cannot cook, clean, wash clothes or perform basic duties around the home.
What should be a partnership can quickly become a source of frustration, arguments and resentment.
Parents have an opportunity to prevent some of these problems long before their children reach marriageable age.
Let us teach them while they are young.
But there is an even bigger picture here.
When we talk about generational wealth, many of us think about houses, land, businesses, money, investments and other assets. These are certainly important. However, generational wealth is not only about what we leave behind materially. It is also about the knowledge, skills, values and mindset that we pass from one generation to another.
A parent who teaches a child how to grow vegetables may unknowingly be planting the seed of a future agricultural business.
A child who learns to cook may eventually establish a catering business or restaurant.
A child who learns carpentry, sewing, gardening, construction, mechanics or another practical skill may one day turn that skill into a successful source of income.
This is why we should stop thinking that education only happens in the classroom.
The kitchen can be a classroom.
The garden can be a classroom.
The yard can be a classroom.
The workshop can be a classroom.
The home itself can be a powerful institution of learning.
Parents, during these school holidays, let us reduce the amount of time our children spend glued to their phones and entertainment and give them meaningful responsibilities.
Let them work alongside us.
Show them how things are done.
Be patient when they make mistakes.
Praise them when they improve.
Teach them that honest work is something to be proud of.
Most importantly, let us lead by example. Children learn more from what they see their parents
doing than from what they are told.
If we want to raise responsible adults, we must give our children responsibilities while they are young.
If we want to build businesses and wealth, we must teach our children skills that can create value.
If we want stronger marriages, we must raise young people who understand partnership, responsibility and self-reliance.
And if we want to build generational wealth, we must understand that our greatest investment is not simply what we can buy for our children, but what we can teach them.
Let us not wait until our children are adults before we discover that we never taught them how to stand on their own.
The hands that learn to plant a seed today may one day build a farm. The child who learns to cook today may one day employ others through a food business. The young person who learns responsibility at home today may become a responsible spouse, parent, employer and community leader tomorrow.
Parents and guardians, the school holidays are an opportunity.
Let us use them wisely.
Let us put the phones aside, bring our children into the kitchen, the garden and the yard, and teach
them to work with their hands.
Because the greatest inheritance we can leave our children is not only what we build for them, but
also what we build inside them.
That is how we begin building a stronger generation, stronger families and genuine generational wealth.
Dr Grace Musandirire is a multi award winning businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is the
Managing Director of Graceland Waters Resort and the founder of two additional companies, Grabster Pvt Ltd and Mukaba. She is passionate about empowering families and communities to build sustainable businesses and create generational wealth.
Contact: +263 772 391 339
