The Best Advice You Can Give Your 10-Year Old They’re Sure to Follow

When you were a child, what kind of advice do you wish someone had given you? Would you have taken it? You ask because you’re thinking of sharing some advice with your 10-year-old child, but what lessons do you have to share? What experiences do you have, both happy and sad, that you can pass on to them?

The best advice you can give a 10-year-old that they’ll follow includes:

• That they’re enough just as they are
• They shouldn’t ever settle for less
• They should free and feed their mind
• They need to discover balance
• They should treat others in their lives well
• It’s better to take the high road
• They shouldn’t give up on their dreams
• They must care for their body
• It’s okay to experience pain
• Their life and future is totally up to them

If the above list has piqued your interest, then you’ll want to keep reading. In this article, we’ll expand on the advice we shared above. We’ll tackle everything from feelings of self-worth to chasing dreams and dealing with tragedy.

The 10 Best Pieces of Advice You Can Give Your 10-Year-Old They’re Sure to Follow

You Are – and Always Have Been – Enough

It’s important for a child to have a strong sense of self-worth from an early age. As a parent, you need to instill in your child the belief they are enough just the way they are. No matter what happens, no matter what they do, your child needs to know they’re valued and loved as a person. There’s nothing they have to prove to you or anyone else.

There will always be tough tasks to try and master and different people who want to challenge your child. Encourage them to embrace the challenges they experience. Teach them to give everything their best effort. Sometimes they will succeed. Other times they will fail. The outcome should not be given enough power to erode their self-worth.

Your child may not learn to embrace their true self quickly. Some children have more difficulty accepting who they are than others. You are one of the most important parts of your child’s support system. Be there for them. Act as a source of encouragement and comfort when they need it. One day they will thank you for all you’ve done.

Don’t Let Yourself Settle for Less Than the Best for Yourself

You want what’s best for your child, and your child should want what’s best for themselves at the same time. Help your child develop ways to assert themselves and stand up for what they need in life. Don’t let them sell themselves short for the sake of anyone else in life.

Your child should never be afraid to try something new. The worst that can happen is a learning experience. Teach your child there is no such thing as failure as long as they can learn from their mistakes and become a better person. This may mean from time to time your child has to get out of their comfort zone. Show them to be self-confident in who they are and give everything their best shot.

Teach your child life is only as hard as you make it. The first step is getting on the right track. Talk about what they want from life, what life asks from them, and what they need. Focus on these things together and you can help your child find success no matter what they set their heart on.

Remember to Free Your Mind and Feed Your Mind

Make sure your child is always developing their mind in some way. Keep them learning, setting life goals, and building their self-awareness. Help them to know themselves beyond their thoughts. Your child’s mind is a tool you can help teach them to master. Assist them in setting goals while reminding them to always live in the now.

Instill the importance of education in your child. A good education will help your child steer their life in the right direction. Encourage them to learn new things outside of their schooling. Let them immerse themselves in the things which fascinate them. Maybe they can even make a living from their life’s passion.

Your child should be open to different viewpoints and perspectives on things. Tell them to always stay curious about anything and everything. Foster inspiration and imagination while you do so. In short, free your child’s mind while feeding it at the same time.

Find the Balance You Need in Life

Everyone needs to discover a sense of balance life. This is true for both adults and children. Adults may find balance between career and family. Children don’t have the same responsibilities. The closest they can equate would be with their schooling. So what does it mean for children to find balance in life? Here are a few examples:

• Give everything your best effort, but don’t try so hard you wear yourself out.
• Stand up for yourself while being compassionate towards other people.
• Be serious when necessary. Take it easy when you can.
• Maintain a few deep relationships but be social with many people.
• Make sure to be safe in life. Don’t be afraid to take some risks.

Finding balance in life is different for everyone. Your child’s needs will even deviate from your own. Encourage your child to listen to their inner self and find the right balance for them. It could be by eating well and exercising, socializing, or finding time to make room for themselves. Once they find their balance, life starts to have a rhythm.

Be Good to Other People in Your Life

The Golden Rule is something every parent should teach their children from a young age. That rule says to treat others the way you would want to be treated. It’s a simple enough concept, and one which can go a long way towards shaping your child’s character over time. After all, there can never be enough kindness in the world.

Tell your child it’s better to come to the defense of someone getting picked on than it is to join in with the bullying. Try to be nice to and help anyone. Be the child everyone wants to work with on a group project. Others will start to look at your child as a leader.

Explain to your child how they can’t ever go wrong by being treating people with respect and kindness. It won’t always be easy to put into practice, and sometimes it will make for uncomfortable situations. Still, show your child how to hold their head high. They may have to feign confidence from time to time, and that’s okay. Nothing will take them further in life than a good heart.

Always Take the High Road in Life

At some point in the future, your child will grow up and enter the working world. They may end up having a complete jerk for a boss or a few coworkers they don’t get along with. Their best friend may let slip a secret your child told them in confidence, creating a great deal of tension. A future in-law may be petty and annoying.

Teach your child early on to take the high road in difficult life situations. The high road sometimes is code for the hardroad. It can be tempting to tell off a heavy-handed employer or hold a grudge with a friend. The mind can wander off with different daydreams about being equally petty to that annoying in-law. It’s not worth it.

Explain to your child that in life, what goes around always comes back around. You may or may not believe in the concept of karma, but it’s better to teach your child to be the bigger person in tough situations. Tell them it’s a sign of bravery and intelligence. The happiest people are those who don’t allow themselves to be dragged down into pettiness.

Chase Your Dreams No Matter What

Cheering your child on while they chase their dreams isn’t an overplayed concept in the least. Too many people get pressured into lives and careers they have no interest in. Ask your child what their dreams are. If they want to be a painter, help them be a painter. If they want to get into education, set them on the path to becoming a teacher.

Make sure to explain to your child how sometimes chasing dreams is often a labor of love. They may not make much if any money on their dreams for quite a long time. Let them know that’s okay and push them to chase their dreams anyway. Maybe it’s something they do in their free time after school or on the weekend.

Your child’s dreams and passions may not always be clear right away. It’s normal for children to have multiple dreams in a short period of time. They may start chasing one dream, work hard at it, then find it’s not something for them. Let your child know this is okay and all part of the process. Working hard is the key.

Protect Your Body and Mind

As a parent, you want nothing more than to protect your child from harm. At some point, this is going to mean having a discussion about sex. As we’ve outlined before, this can be a tricky subject to navigate. It’s also one that’s vitally important. You may want your child to save themselves for marriage or even be a 40-year-old virgin. The reality is that probably won’t happen.

Have the age-old talk about the birds and the bees with your child. Explain to them how sex has the potential to come with emotional baggage they may not be equipped to deal with. Teach them to protect their body by not getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant. Talk about the dangers of STDs and the long-term impacts they can have on a person. Encourage protection and safe practices when the time finally comes.

You need to help your child understand they’re in charge of their body. They are the gatekeepers and anything involving sex should always be done by choice. Nothing should be forced upon them just as they shouldn’t force it upon someone else. Make sure your child knows you’re someone they can confide in if the unthinkable should ever happen.

Let Yourself Feel Pain When It Happens

One day, your child will go through a time when something terrible happens to them. It could be the heartbreak stemming from their first breakup. Perhaps your child was injured playing their favorite sport and now they can no longer participate as a result. A friend could break their trust, leaving your child feeling betrayed and hurt. It could even be the passing of a family member.

Encourage your child to allow themselves to feel their emotions. The pain, sadness, and anger they’re experiencing are normal parts of life. It’s better to have these feelings and understand them rather than try to shut them out. Low points in life will always somehow lead to growth. We learn from the experiences and become better people afterwards.

Reassure your child that things will get better in time. Tell them you understand how much it hurts. Try and relate their experience to something similar in your past. The hurt is terrible and very real, but it will pass in time. Let your child breathe and feel. Be there for them, let them ask for your help, and move on one day at a time.

Your Life is Completely in Your Hands

While you have had a major hand in raising your child to be the best version of themselves, your child is ultimately responsible for their own life. Their happiness, success, failure, wealth, and health are all in their hands. This thought can seem incredibly daunting to a child, so it’s up to you to help them navigate to a point where they can do it on their own.

Work with your child to craft and influence their life to be the way they want. Teach them their thoughts are a form of creative power they can use to design their world. Your child will have to find the courage within themselves to take responsibility for their life. Thinking things over and doing what needs to be done is a vital first step.

Make sure you’re instilling good values and life lessons in your child. Give them a solid direction in life as well. Cheer them on when they’re doing well. Implement discipline whenever necessary, but don’t go overboard with punishments. Be a parent first and friend second. Offer your child with the tools they need to take charge of their life when the time comes.

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