Children don’t naturally know how to always make the right choices. Life skills help children know what to do in everyday situations as well as how to make good decisions about more abstract, long-term choices. If you work with your child to teach them life skills, you prepare them to manage peer pressure and and make good decisions as they grow into adulthood.

Answering all these queries is well known Etiquette and Image Consultant Priya Rajiv. 

She is the founder of The Style & Manners Club Hyderabad. She has over 20 years of experience and is a trained Image consultant with expertise in etiquette, image consulting and children’s manners. She has trained at London’s Premier institutes: London College of Fashion, Aston+Hayes Image Consulting Institute and Minding Manners Finishing School . 

Priya has travelled extensively around the world where she has had the opportunity to learn and hone her skills.

She conducts a lot of workshops to share her perspectives on Image Management and Social Etiquette. She believes in giving children the necessary building blocks for a solid future through poise, confidence, etiquette and leadership.

Q1. We were educated in a school system that believed the world in which it existed would remain essentially the same. It was based on what jobs were most in demand in the 1980s, not what might happen in the 2000s. We had no idea what the world had in store for us. How then can we prepare our kids for a world that is quickly changing and unpredictable.

Priya: The future no matter how hard we try is always uncertain. We are all born with strong survival instincts and the ability to adapt to change . However these qualities are fading as a lot of us have started over indulging and have become over protective. The best way to help our children cope with the unknown future is to teach to them to be more courageous, encourage them to make their own decisions and identify their passion. Make sure they follow their passion and if they fail, encourage them to be courageous and overcome their shortcomings.

Q2. Which are the essential skills that you believe children should learn, that will best prepare them for any world of the future.

Priya: We need to make them achievers and go getters.

The world now is extremely competitive hence what we really need to work on is their level of confidence, train them in communication skills so that they can express themselves eloquently. Do not encourage them to carry their gadgets on a social gathering, as this hugely interferes with their social skills.

Q3. It amazes me at how little time we as parents have, to impart valuable life lessons to prepare our kids for the real world. How can one teach them the skills and values that we need teach our children at a very young age to help strengthen their character as they grow into adulthood.

Priya:Character education and moral science should be a part of their school curriculum.

We as parents should make them more aware of making the right choices. It is a dire requirement for us to come down to their level. Hear them out , discuss all the issues they had in school whether it was their homework, issues with friends or teachers. Be more perceptive. Let them come out with ideas as to how they could have handled the situation better. Instead of reacting it’s better we are listeners and encourage them to make them to choose what’s right and wrong .

Q4. With such global exposure and the whole world available at their finger tips, how important is to expose our kids to people of all kinds, from different races to different mental conditions and show them that it is OK to be different, but that differences should be celebrated, and that variety is what makes life so beautiful.

Priya: Cultural education is a must. History should be made interesting and taught to children in such a way that they use it as a mirror to reflect our past and avoid making the same mistakes

Encourage them to watch videos of Andrew Marr. His videos are very engaging and children will learn all about history and different cultures of the world. History is needed to understand the current behavioural patterns of the world.

Cultural education propels emotional prediction and this will make them sensitive and perceptive about the times we live in.

Q5. Needless to say, how can we inculcate in them the value of having good manners which can never be overestimated.

Priya:As parents we need to make them more independent. Have a checklist for them which you can put up in their room.

We need to change first and then lead by example.If we order our maids around, our children will start talking in the same  manner.

Magic words such as please , sorry , thank you and welcome must be used by all of us at all times. Children soak in whatever they are exposed to. So we need to instil these changes in ourselves and then in them.

To contact Ms. Priya Mohan Rajiv, click here 

Would you like to know more about a Guru who excels in a particular activity for children? Mail us at sammy@kidengage.com