How can you invest in your children?
Discussion
I've read a few threads about house location and education, state vs private education, moving for schools etc, one is running in Homes & Gardens at the moment.
But if someone decided not to pay for private education, and not to sink all of their capital into a property in the best school area, how could they use that money to invest into their children's lives?
So maybe take the difference between an increased mortgage and private school fees and say you've got an extra £750 a month/£9k a year (f
k me that's a lot of money!) how could you spend this to get your child(ren) to grow into capable, intelligent, well-rounded human beings?
Or is living in a great catchment area or a private school the best way to do that?
(ignore for now sticking all of it into a savings account until they're an adult, let them earn their own way...)
But if someone decided not to pay for private education, and not to sink all of their capital into a property in the best school area, how could they use that money to invest into their children's lives?
So maybe take the difference between an increased mortgage and private school fees and say you've got an extra £750 a month/£9k a year (f
k me that's a lot of money!) how could you spend this to get your child(ren) to grow into capable, intelligent, well-rounded human beings?Or is living in a great catchment area or a private school the best way to do that?
(ignore for now sticking all of it into a savings account until they're an adult, let them earn their own way...)
996Type said:
Private tutors every week to supplement the state education would offer good value.
I like the idea behind this, but also like the idea of giving them things they can't learn at school, like being the only 16 year old with a Prince2 qualification. Not that he would have any interest in doing that, the little fker, he can barely get out of bed for nursery.I would think;
Giving them the opportunity to try lots of sports.
Teaching them skills like riding a bike, maybe how to ski, and ride a horse might be useful and/or good at rounding them out.
Get them into scouts/guides/Duke of Edinburgh award.
Musical instrument lessons.
Advanced driving lessons after they pass their test.
That lot ought to round them out.
If they know what they want to do when they leave school, you could help them map out how to do that - get the right work experience, make contact with the right people, do the right qualifications etc.
Giving them the opportunity to try lots of sports.
Teaching them skills like riding a bike, maybe how to ski, and ride a horse might be useful and/or good at rounding them out.
Get them into scouts/guides/Duke of Edinburgh award.
Musical instrument lessons.
Advanced driving lessons after they pass their test.
That lot ought to round them out.
If they know what they want to do when they leave school, you could help them map out how to do that - get the right work experience, make contact with the right people, do the right qualifications etc.
ScotHill said:
996Type said:
Private tutors every week to supplement the state education would offer good value.
I like the idea behind this, but also like the idea of giving them things they can't learn at school, like being the only 16 year old with a Prince2 qualification. Not that he would have any interest in doing that, the little fker, he can barely get out of bed for nursery.As for helping them gain extra qualifications outside of normal school subject is a great idea too, as long as they show an interest/passion in the subject as you quite rightly say!
This is likely to be an interesting thread, and there will be a lot of different views. Hopefully I will learn a lot from it, some of which may benefit my 7 and 5 year old kids.
I like the adage that someone used the other day that said for smaller kids at least, time = love.
I gave up working 10-14 hour days in London to live in Devon, and am now normally work 8 hour days. The kids are growing up in clean air in rural Devon, with parents who they see plenty of.
We're trying to teach them the value of a balanced life, enjoying the simpler aspects of an outdoors lifestyle.
As they get older, the focus will shift towards hard work getting desired results, and how to make good choices.
Hopefully they will grow up to have a life that satisfies them, whatever that is. They're too young for us to know what that is yet. If being a successful lawyer in London is right for them, so be it. If they're content and have a great life as a nursery school assistant, I'll be just as content that I've done a good job.
As long as they don't become a traffic warden, obviously.
I like the adage that someone used the other day that said for smaller kids at least, time = love.
I gave up working 10-14 hour days in London to live in Devon, and am now normally work 8 hour days. The kids are growing up in clean air in rural Devon, with parents who they see plenty of.
We're trying to teach them the value of a balanced life, enjoying the simpler aspects of an outdoors lifestyle.
As they get older, the focus will shift towards hard work getting desired results, and how to make good choices.
Hopefully they will grow up to have a life that satisfies them, whatever that is. They're too young for us to know what that is yet. If being a successful lawyer in London is right for them, so be it. If they're content and have a great life as a nursery school assistant, I'll be just as content that I've done a good job.
As long as they don't become a traffic warden, obviously.
Travel with them.
Not simply sitting at a beach somewhere. Let them absorbed different cultures and gain perspective on how poor a large part of the global population is and how fortunate they are to be born in this country.
Granted, with current air restrictions and covid this makes things not so much fun but that won't last forever...
No better way to invest money in your kids outside education.
Not simply sitting at a beach somewhere. Let them absorbed different cultures and gain perspective on how poor a large part of the global population is and how fortunate they are to be born in this country.
Granted, with current air restrictions and covid this makes things not so much fun but that won't last forever...
No better way to invest money in your kids outside education.
If they are young enough read to them. I used to read 3 childrens books a night to The Vikingettes and spend £15 a week on 3-6 new books depending on how the offers panned out.
Not only did I spend Quality time with them, but I honestly believe the reason my 2 are so academically good (not to remove a couple of ribs and blow my own trumpet) was because I read to them so much. They could recognise words at such a young age and string sentences together earlier.
Not only did I spend Quality time with them, but I honestly believe the reason my 2 are so academically good (not to remove a couple of ribs and blow my own trumpet) was because I read to them so much. They could recognise words at such a young age and string sentences together earlier.
I've taught thousands of kids. Here are my observations on what they benefit most from:
Teach them manners, but not to be a pushover.
Teach them to listen but also to question from the view of wanting to learn and understand, not to undermine.
Demonstrate the value that kindness to others gives them back.
Let them be bored enough to create.
Let them find what they're interested in and nurture passion. It doesn't matter what it's in.
Get them to take ownership of their own learning.
Get them to enjoy their own health.
Mostly, foster their critical thinking abilities, they're going to need them. Good luck.
Teach them manners, but not to be a pushover.
Teach them to listen but also to question from the view of wanting to learn and understand, not to undermine.
Demonstrate the value that kindness to others gives them back.
Let them be bored enough to create.
Let them find what they're interested in and nurture passion. It doesn't matter what it's in.
Get them to take ownership of their own learning.
Get them to enjoy their own health.
Mostly, foster their critical thinking abilities, they're going to need them. Good luck.
First off, I disagree that intelligence is set at the moment of egg fertilisation.
It’s way more complex than that.
How have I invested in my kids? Being a good example, being myself, music, languages, technology, adventure, not being over protective.
Do your best, there is no perfect way to bring up kids...
It’s way more complex than that.
How have I invested in my kids? Being a good example, being myself, music, languages, technology, adventure, not being over protective.
Do your best, there is no perfect way to bring up kids...
Pay them £8,000 pa to do the housework, with a £1,000 bonus in December if they consistently meet their KPI targets. They of course will get weekends / bank holidays off and 20 days paid leave.
They get an industry leading healthcare package, accommodation expenses, meals provided and a modern and fun work environment
They get an industry leading healthcare package, accommodation expenses, meals provided and a modern and fun work environment
Let them be kids would be my suggestion. Spend time with them rather than earning money to spend on them. I've got friends who work crazy hours and see very little of their kids and use the excuse they are working to provide for them. The kids would rather not go to a private school but spend more time with their dad. I think the wives rather enjoy the money though.
Spend the money on interesting holidays, days out and other fun activities for them, even bring their friends along and pay for them if you have to.
Don't put pressure on them to be academic. They get enough pressure as it is.
My two already get more homework than I'm comfortable with at 10 and 12 years old.
Kids will be better of having a well rounded fun childhood in my opinion.
Spend the money on interesting holidays, days out and other fun activities for them, even bring their friends along and pay for them if you have to.
Don't put pressure on them to be academic. They get enough pressure as it is.
My two already get more homework than I'm comfortable with at 10 and 12 years old.
Kids will be better of having a well rounded fun childhood in my opinion.
Pothole said:
Nothing you do after grunting and squirting will make your child more intelligent.
Well that is an extremely depressing outlook.Sure, you may not be able to alter the nuts and bolts of someones brain to raise their IQ, but you can put them in environments which nurture what they have, get the best out of them, and build on it.
More than that, the right environment can transform an reasonably average child into an adult who can sit in boardrooms full of senior and intelligent people, discussing important matters, and more than hold their own.
I'll be honest and describe myself as being of average intelligence when it comes to exams, coursework, GCSE's, A Levels etc. My parents realised this while I was in primary school, when my teachers pretty much said "He's a nice polite child, and he does what is asked, but there's just not spark there at all with regards to his academic performance. We can't seem to get much out of him".
They briefly sent me to a tutor, who also remarked "I have tried the carrot and the stick , and he really doesn't seem to want to succeed".
They then sent me to a private school for the last year of primary, and on to private secondary education, combined with the occasional bit of additional tuition and help from the school.
This new environment turned me round. I was surrounded by people who were intelligent, smart, sharp, driven, from families who were successful, they all had ideas about what they wanted to do for A levels, Universities, and careers and so on.
I then had to start performing otherwise I really would be the class doofus. They would put charts on the wall every week to essentially show how we were all performing, and no one wanted to be last.
There were only 15-20 of us to a class and the teachers spent time with us all individually, and instead of me saying "It's too hard, I can't do it" and just failing, the teachers would actually sit with you individually and explain things in different ways until you got it.
But it was far more than that. The other kids were 'well to do' for want of a better phrase. They were brought up to behave in a proper fashion. They spoke properly, and I had to follow suit or be teased for having some kind of regional accent, or having shoes that weren't polished.
During my maths A Level exam, one of the last things ever did at the school, I had finished my paper and was sat there. My maths teacher walked over to me picked up my paper, read it, and said "What is this?" I was like "I've finished" he said "No you haven't. These questions right here. You know these ones. We did them a couple of months ago. Do it again. You haven't finished. Don't let me down".
So I re-did some of my paper.
All the nagging, encouragement, additional help, tutoring, mixing with 'driven' individuals, and the social aspects really changed me for the better. I've ended up in a really good place and I'm grateful for my education.
If I had been left to flounder in the secondary school equivalent of Grange Hill I would have probably done absolutely nothing, left with terrible exam results, and not seen a different side to life.
I've witnessed many people I went to school with end up in really quite senior positions, earning an awful lot of money, and I know they aren't the sharpest tool in the box. They know how to speak properly, how to hold a knife and fork, how to behave, how to dress, how to approach things logically and sensibly, how to conduct themselves in meetings, and how to come across well.
tl;dr Education is very valuable for many more reasons than just the actual IQ or exam results.
(See the other thread for 'how to hold a knife and fork')
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