Don’t neglect your child’s needs; create a resume for them today!

This Easter weekend could be a great time to do something that separates you from most parents. This weekend sit down with your child and start creating their resume or more accurately their A.E.A. (Academic & Extracurricular Abstract).

Now I know that some would consider this a crazy idea but I’m not crazy. Well at least about creating and maintaining a resume for your child – I’m not crazy. If you have a child who has begun formal education (K-12), you would be doing them a huge favor by starting to compile their A.E.A.

Chronicling your child’s academic and extracurricular history won’t cost you a thing but it will pay huge dividends not only in the long run but almost immediately. For the record, resumes are not exclusive to getting your grown children to leave your house. In fact, there are four reasons why the adolescents and teens living with you need a resume immediately.

1.  Prisoners’ of the Moment

Children are prisoners of the moment. When they do something good they think themselves the greatest of all time. When they do something poorly they think themselves the most useless person in the history of the world. Parents know that neither perception is correct. Children, on the other hand, have to be taught about perspective.

When we chronicle our children’s academic and extracurricular activities, we help them remain focused on the journey ahead rather than imprisoning themselves in the celebration over one step forward or the lamentation over one misstep. As I have repeated to my son over and over, no one is always successful and no one is always a failure. Success and failure are merely signposts on life’s journey. No one has the exclusive rights to be successful and no one is indentured to failure.

The challenge for both parents and children alike is to stay present in the moment without being a prisoner of the moment. We liberate ourselves and remain free by continuing to plan, work and move forward today regardless of yesterday’s success or failure. A resume is an excellent reminder and a great way to apply this process.

2.  Reminder of the Process

Having a resume for your child is a great way to stay on track. Each academic semester/quarter/school break sit down with your child to record and plan. If there is little to nothing to include on the resume, you know that you have work to do for the upcoming time period. If there are an abundance of things on the resume for the time period under review, this may be a sign that it’s time to give your child a break.

Remember the goal is not to overwhelm your child so that they become the personification of the expression “all work and no play…” Rather, the goal is to have a constant reminder which can keep you focused on helping your child maximize their time, talent and God-given abilities so that when it really is time to leave your home they are well prepared and keenly positioned to be the beneficiaries of an unlimited number of wonderful opportunities.

The greatest and worst vision that we all are privileged to have is hindsight. Hindsight is always 20/20. When you look back on your child’s youth don’t be one of the parents who wishes you had done more when your child was younger. Time is finite so use it wisely. Start your child’s resume today and use foresight to plan the life you dream for your child. Tomorrow may not be promised but it’s still a good idea to be prepared for it if it comes.

3.  I Am Somebody

We all know that being accepted to college and being awarded scholarships is highly competitive. Unfortunately, getting admitted to some of the best private high schools and charter schools has taken on a collegiate like competitiveness and in some unfortunate cases a lottery like experience. Having an A.E.A. will prove helpful during those times where you have to differentiate your child from others.

Keeping a record of your child’s accomplishments and successes will make it easier for you complete the applications and make an excellent case for why your child should be accepted. Having a ready accessible record of your child’s accomplishments and successes beats staring at an application and trying to think of something to write – trying to find some way of making your child seem special.

Your child is special but it’s up to you to build on their uniqueness and chronicle their accomplishments throughout their life. Start your child’s resume today so that your child will never forget or doubt that they are somebody.

4.  Remember Who You Are

Starting and keeping a resume for your child is a great way to clarify the person you desire your child to become. Almost universally, parents want their children to have a great occupation, to never worry about how to make ends meet and to never need to rob Peter to pay Paul. Yet, what most parents really want is for their children to be good people – people who genuinely care about others.

A resume is a great way to lay that foundation. With the input and cooperation of your child establish a sentence or a phrase that will go at the top of their resume. This sentence or phrase will be the guiding directive for their life. Everything they do, every activity they participate in will be done with the goal of substantiating their life directive.

For example, “my purpose is to be better today than I was yesterday” or “I exist so that I may be a blessing to everyone I meet”. The aforementioned are just my spontaneous ideas – I’m sure you have plenty of your own. However, what matters is that you create a directive or mission that can guide your child throughout their adolescence and into adulthood.

The resume keeps your child’s guiding principle front and center so that your child is less inclined to forget who they are and lose sight of their greater life purpose. People who change the world and make the world a better place are just like your children. The universe is counting on your child to be one of the world changers so start their resume today.

Crazy Like A Fox

Now do you still think I’m crazy or crazy like a fox? If you agree that every child needs a resume share this post with every parent you know. If you want to know more about how to create an Academic & Extracurricular Abstract respond in the comment section below.

As always, thanks for reading and allowing me to share. Happy Easter!

What does your child aspire to be? How have you planned to make their dreams a reality?