I read this article written by Ronke Onadeko and just had to get her permission to share. The tips are invaluable.

Many teens and older children are going back to school. There is need to prepare them for the new school year.

• Share with your children how much it costs. Do the math with them, include school fees, back to school shopping, uniforms, extra curricular activity, transportation costs, medicals, phone bills, electronics -phones, laptops, iPads etc.
• Share with them the opportunity cost for you. What else that kind of money can be spent on such as a new car, vacations, real estate- land or property purchase and explain the sacrifice you are making for their future.
• Encourage the child to draw up a budget of their “back-to-school” needs and their term or year spend. Help them determine how to separate wants from needs as well as prioritizing when to get things and how much to get. Phone data budget, eating out budget, clothing budgets etc.
• Remind them of their responsibilities:
  • Keeping in touch regularly
  • Keeping track of their spending
  • Working hard at their academic pursuits
  • Obtaining good grades to justify the financial investment
  • Respecting the family values
  • Keeping their personal belongings safe especially electronics, clothing and books
• Have the Social media conversation with them.
  • The pictures they post will last forever and will influence the rest of their lives
  • Managing time spent and content on social media
• Have the talk with them about how they are ambassadors of your family and the country. How there is dignity in labor. How to take care of their personal belongings.

This list is not exhaustive and is not for parents only. Guardians, aunties and uncles please reach out to your nieces, nephews and wards they can never hear enough of these things.

This was my going to college message to one of mine

“Congratulations!!  You are no longer a boy. You have to take this academic challenge by the horns. Its hard work but it will define the rest of your life…the employment opportunities that will be available you, your future paychecks and the life style of your future, who your friends will be etc. stay focused and GOD will be with you. Look around you and be the best version of yourself you can be. You have what it takes to be great.”

Written by Ronke Onadeko. For more youth related tidbits visit www.ronkeonadeko.com.