How You Can Learn From Kids During Uncertain Times

This is the start of a new term for my children. But their expectations for the future will be quite different from what mine were when I was a wee lass.

My oldest son is now in P6. This is a transitional year in some ways. It was for me. It marked the beginning of the end of that calm and measured part of childhood (sometimes called ‘the age of reason’) before the hormones kick in and a new phase of adolescence begins.

It’s a time of exciting potential. One sign is my son starting to notice girls a little bit. (He met a pretty redhead at the park and got her address so he can write to her!) But mostly that is not a focus yet, and the turbulent times lie far enough ahead.

He is thinking about his future though and in a more creative and open-minded way than I ever did.

Mine was probably the last generation where going to university was seen as the crowning achievement in education and the way to career success as an adult. As a 10-year-old, I wanted to be an author and spent my time writing short stories, poems, and songs, but I was praised more for my success in school work and always encouraged to follow the route of going to university.

Unfortunately, that route took me away from my own inner guide - the one that told me what I was good at.

Never mind. I have no regrets. My point is that nowadays children are growing up sensing that the world is a different place. University didn’t live up to its vaunted reputation as an institution that would pave the way for success for everyone. The future does not hold the promise of ‘jobs for life.’

Was there ever such a thing? I remember the summer before I went to uni working in the local coathanger factory with people of the older generation who had been told in the sixties that they would have ‘jobs for life’ in the local textile mills, but were sadly disappointed when the bottom fell out of the industry and production moved overseas.

If anything, history shows us that uncertainty is the rule. As much as we would like to have security, harkening for that is one sure-fire way to never get any.

I read an article in the ‘i’ newspaper at the weekend that featured children around the age of 11 and 12 who had started their own businesses during lockdown selling things like homemade slime and sweet boxes. There was even a boy selling the service of YouTube video introductions for £3 a go.

This resonated with me because my ten-year-old has long had an entrepreneurial spirit. Two years ago he hosted a ‘cafe’ at our house where he made cheese toasties for friends and charged a pound. On our recent holiday, he collected firewood from the woods to sell to fellow Wigwammers (until the owners said you were only allowed seasoned logs on the fire).

He has had ideas as diverse as healthy bars, dog walking, weight lifting stick, massages and his own line in self-help e-books, including ‘How to be a happier person,’ and ‘How to be a better teacher.’

As a business person myself I want to encourage this spirit. Because in the future there may not be enough jobs to go round. We will see more and more people starting their own ventures.

This is good news for me though as with new businesses, that means more marketing and more content needed.

Right now this is a big issue as many of our young people who went through their exams may not have achieved the results they had hoped or required for university. But I say, maybe that’s ok. Better to focus your time on gaining skills in something that will help you create your own business in the future.

School should be about preparing kids for the future anyway. Yes, we will need well-trained doctors, nurses, engineers, software developers, scientists, accountants, etc, etc, etc. But let’s focus on providing a decent education so that they can fulfill these roles, rather than on the exam results themselves.

Because a child fully engaged in a project (i.e. not just going through the motions to get a doggie biscuit and a pat on the head) - whether that be learning maths, science, history, etc. or creating their own business venture, will have more success.

I applaud the youngsters who did not sit idle though lock-down, but took the initiative to build their own businesses - and with school out, they had the time.

So take your lead from the young team. They can certainly teach us a thing or two.

The new normal needs new ideas. If you are ready to take the plunge and launch your own venture and need compelling marketing copy, let me know. Rachel@rachelhunterwriting.co.uk.