10 Before 10

How Do I Deal With This?

Raising kids to be productive, responsible and happy adults is no easy task. Social Scientists and psychologists have studied family dynamics and child rearing for decades and brought forth many varied philosophies. Parents have raised children since the beginning of time and somehow humankind has survived and advanced. But as parents, we always worry, "Am I doing the right thing?" or we find ourselves in
multitudes of circumstances where we just don't know what to do.

A Reference & Guide


I am writing a new series on raising children to be successful and happy adults. I've learned through successes and failures, by doing as much as I knew how, eagerly learning how to be a better parent from others, and reflection on what worked and what didn't  Parenting is complex because we all come from different backgrounds, have different personalities, and our children are unique as well. However, I look for the common points that all humans share to find the guidelines that will help us all create happy and healthy families.

10 Before 10 refers to ten areas of development, or learning, that we as parents need to teach our children or use as guidelines while raising our children, before they reach the age of 10. These are not steps or stages; they are more like goals that on a daily basis we work toward helping our children master. We may even find that we have to work on our own mastery of these areas of life at the same time. That’s okay because being a parent is just another stage of becoming a better human being, and learning how to love.

Why before 10 years old?
In the first 10 years of a child’s life they are naturally more open to what parents tell them and have a strong desire for parental approval. After 10 years old the child is moving more outward, looking to learn from the world and seeking peer approval. We live in a crazy mixed up world, so before your child becomes swamped with a worldly education you want to make sure that they can stand on their own two feet and bravely evaluate their choices before making decisions and taking action. Working on these 10 areas of development in your daily life with your children will give them the strength to resist peer pressure and make lifelong healthy choices.

Even if your children are over 10 these topics can still be helpful in guiding your teens, it’s never too late. As our kids get older we have to change the way we approach subjects or give guidance, but we still need to reinforce these 10 areas of development. Grandparents can also be very essential in helping to reinforce the lessons of 10 Before 10.

You will notice that the 10 areas of development cover a wide range of topics such as physical activities, lifestyle, thought processes, morality & ethics and relationships. All parents and families will naturally work through these areas in one way or another, with more success in some areas than in others. By putting these areas of development into a topical list I hope to include some why’s and how’s and examples that will make it easier for families to master these areas, or at least work on areas where improvement is needed.

So come back each week for 10 Before 10
I will be posting on Monday’s or Tuesday’s. I look forward to hearing your comments and responses.