Parent Partnerships
Going Beyond the Fishbowl
It’s a quirk of nature that the extent of our growth is determined by our immediate environment. For instance, a fearsome shark will only grow five centimetres long if it spends all its life in a fish bowl. Put that shark in the sea and it will grow to five metres or more. A shark’s genes may provide the blueprint, but its growth will be restricted by the size of its immediate environment.
The same principle applies to children. Restrict them to a safe, insular environment and their capacity for reaching their full potential will be limited. Getting kids to go beyond the fishbowl and be part of the wider world is how we prepare them for the career-fluid future that awaits them.
Recently, I wrote a foreword for a soon to be released parenting book written by South African authors Nikki Bush and Graeme Codrington titled “Future proof your child for the 2020s and beyond”. The authors described the future that our children are entering as full of exponential and disruptive change led by technology and shifting social mores. They reasoned that in the world of work and enterprise that awaits today’s generation of children and young people, creativity, problem-solving, design, big picture thinking and risk-taking will be richly rewarded.
According to Bush and Codrington, the future will belong to the kids who are going beyond the fishbowl, willing to expand their physical and mental horizons.
American parenting icon Lenore Skenazy, founder of the free-range parenting movement, is a long-time advocate for parents giving kids the freedom they need to explore their neighbourhoods and take safe risks.
Dubbed ”America’s Worst Mom” for allowing her nine-year old son to ride the New York subway on his own in 2008, Skenazy has been an outspoken advocate for allowing kids more freedom and unsupervised time. She maintains that kids are “safer and smarter than our culture believes.” Like Bush and Codrington, Skenazy encourages parents to allow kids to jump out of the fishbowl of school, family and their immediate neighbourhood and encourage them to explore their capabilities in the wider world. She acknowledges that allowing kids the same type of freedoms that previous generations enjoyed takes significant parental courage.
If kids are to be truly resilient and make the most of the exciting but uncertain future that awaits them, it’s more important than ever to loosen the reins so that both generations – children and parents- experience more freedom.
Future-proofing your child
Attend a webinar for parents at no charge!
Our school has a membership with Parenting Ideas, one of Australia’s most trusted sources of parenting education and support. As part of this membership, all the parents in this school community can attend some fantastic webinars in 2020 at no cost. We’re pleased to let you know about an upcoming webinar.
Future-proofing your child
This century is characterised by disruptive change that is turning our world upside down. Jobs aren’t just changing, whole industries are ceasing to exist. The scripts for success are being rewritten on a daily basis in our families, at work and in life. In this webinar Nikki Bush teaches parents what to expect and how to support their kids to thrive in a future world of work.
Key learning and discussion points include:
Key trends that are changing the world
Frameworks for future-proofing children
Highlighting the X-factors for success
Explaining the role of school in a changing world
Helping parents to set realistic and relevant parenting goals
Presented by Nikki Bush
Award-winning speaker and bestselling author
Video overview
Click this link to view the video overview: https://vimeo.com/376706791
When
Wednesday 18 March 2020 at 8:00 PM AEDT
Redeem your webinar now - it's easy
Click this link:
www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinarfuture-proofing-your-child
Click ‘Add to cart’
Click ‘View cart’
Enter the voucher code FUTURE and click ‘Apply’
Enter our school’s name to verify your eligibility. The $37 discount will then be applied.
Click ‘Proceed to checkout’
Fill in your account details. These are the details you will use to login to your account and access your webinar and resources
Click ‘Place Order’
This offer is valid until 18 June 2020. If you’re unable to make the broadcast time, just register anyway and you will get access to the recording.