Everyone knows that our school system ， in general ， is not giving
our kids the basic reading， writing，‘rithmatic and science skills needed
to be competitive in the high-tech workforce of the upcoming generation
（at least， that ’s the general assumption， and we won ‘t argue it
here）。

    总的来说，我们都知道学校不能教给我们的孩子一些基本的读书，写作，算
术和科学技能，这些技能是我们在即将出现的新一代高科技劳动力（至少，这是
一个普遍的看法，我们不需要在这里争论）中具有竞争力的保证。

    But there ‘s much more to life than those basic subjects ， and unless
you have an exceptional teacher who is willing to break out of the mold
，your child isn ’t learning the crucial things he or she needs to learn
in life.但是生活中我们需要远比那些基础学科更多的知识，你的孩子根本没有
学会生活中需要的那些至关重要的知识，除非有一位独特的老师，他愿意去打破
这种模式。

    Think about your own experience for a moment. When you got out of
high school ， did you know everything you needed in order to survive
in life ， let alone succeed？ If you were lucky， you knew how to read
and had some basic history and math skills， and if you were even luckier，
you had good study habits that would serve you well in college. 回顾你
的切身经验，当你高中毕业时，你了解生活中的所需知识么？更不用说如何取得
成功了。幸运的话，你也许知道如何阅读，并且有一些基本的历史和数学技能，
甚至你还可能拥有良好的学习习惯，这将使你在大学中受益。

    But were you prepared for life？ Most likely not， unless you had
parents who did you that favor. In fact ， many of us screwed up our early
adult lives because we didn ‘t know those skills — and we ’re paying
the consequences now. 但是，你真的准备好进入现实生活了么？也许未必，除
非你的父母已经为你准备好一切。事实上，我们大部分人的早期成年生活都是一
团糟，因为我们不了解所需的技能，而我们正在承受相应的后果。

    That‘s a part of life， you might say， learning these lessons. But
it’s also possible to prepare your child a bit before they go out on
their own ， and if we can‘t get the schools to teach these skills ，
then let’s do it ourselves.你也许会说，这是生活的一部分——从经验教训
中学习。但仍可能在你的孩子独立生活之前，让他准备得充分一些。如果我们无
法让学校教授那些技能，就让我们自己来负责吧。

    What follows is a basic curriculum in life that a child should know
before reaching adulthood. There will probably be other skills you can
add to this list， but at least it‘s a starting point. 以下是一张基本
课程表，孩子在迈入成年生活之前都应该掌握它。也许你认为还有其他技能需要
加入其中，但至少这是一个起步要求。

    A note on how to teach these things ： These subjects should not be
taught by lectures or textbooks. They can only be taught by setting examples，
by conversation ， by showing ， and by allowing the child（or teenager）

    to do these things on their own （with supervision at first ）。 Once
you ‘ve talked about the skill ， showed your child how to do it ， and
let them do it under supervision a few times， give your child the trust
to do it on his own ， and to learn from his own mistakes. Check back
every now and then to talk about what he’s learned.如何教导这些事情：
这些课程无法通过讲课和课本来掌握，只能通过实例、言传身教来教导，并且要
允许小孩独自去尝试（刚刚开始可以在监督下进行）。一旦你进行言传身教，并
且监督他们尝试几次后，就应该给予你的孩子信任，让他自己去完成，从自身的
错误中学习；另外要不时和你的孩子讨论他的学习成果。

    Financial 财务

    * Saving. Spend less than you earn. It‘s such a simple maxim ， and
yet very few young adults understand it or know how to follow it. Teach
your child from a young age to put part of money he receives or earns
in the bank. Teach him how to set a savings goal， and save for it， and
then purchase whatever it is he was saving for. 储蓄：量入为出是一句简
朴的格言，然而只有极少数的青年人理解并知道如何遵循它。从小就让孩子将他
的一部分零花钱存入银行，教导他如何设定储蓄目标，如何达成该目标，然后便
可购买他想要的物品。

    * Budgeting. Many of us dread this task as adults ， and suffer because
of it ， because we lack the understanding and skills necessary to make
budgeting a breeze. Teach them simple budgeting skills， and what ‘s
involved， and they won ’t have problems as an adult. You could wait
until teenage years to do something like this — but it ‘s a good thing
because this shows them why basic math is necessary.预算：许多成年人害
怕做预算，并为此饱受折磨，这是因为我们缺乏做预算所需的知识和技能。教导
孩子简单的预算技能，以及相关的知识，让他们成年后不在面临预算的烦恼。你
可以等到孩子十几岁再教他们这些知识，这是一个很好的机会来展示为什么他们
需要了解数学基础知识。

    * Paying bills. Give them bills to pay and have them pay it on time
，online or in the real world. Learn how to write a check， paper and online，
and how to make sure that you ‘re never late with bills again— either
pay them immediately or automatically.支付：让孩子们支付账单，并确保他
们按时支付，不论是在线支付还是实地完成。让他们学习如何写支票，包括纸张
支票和在线支票；确保不会延误账单——可以通过马上支付或者自动支付来完成。

    * Investing. What is investing and why is it necessary？ How do you
do it and what are different ways of doing it ？ How do you research an
investment？ How does it compound over time ？ This is a good conversation
to have with your teen. 投资：什么是投资，为什么必须进行投资？你是如何
进行投资的，有哪些不同的投资手段？你是如何研究投资项目？复利如何发挥时
间威力。这些都是和你孩子交谈的极佳话题。

    * Frugality. This is something to teach them from an early age. How
to shop around to get a good deal ， to compare between products of different
prices and quality， to make things last and not waste， to cook at home
instead of eating out too much， to control impulse buying. When we go
out and do a shopping spree ， including before Christmas ， we are teaching
them just the opposite. 节省：这是从小就应该教会他们的事情。如何去货比
三家，比较不同的价格和质量，对物品重复利用、减少浪费，在家煮食而不过多
在外就餐，控制购物冲动。当我们外出疯狂购物，即便是圣诞节前，也会为孩子
树立了一个坏榜样。

    * Credit. This is a major problem for many adults. Teach them the
responsible use for credit， and how to avoid it when it‘s not necessary，
and how to avoid getting into too much debt ， and how to use a credit
card responsibly. 债务：许多成年人都面临债务问题。要教导孩子借贷的责任，
如何避免不必要的债务，如何避免过多举债，如何可靠地使用信用卡。

    * Retirement. Is it better to work hard and retire or to take mini-retirements
throughout life ？ That ‘s a personal question ， but your child should
be aware of the options and the pros and cons of each ， and how to do
each. Why it’s important to start investing in retirement when you ‘
re young， and how much of a difference that can make through compound
interest. How to do it automatically. 退休：努力工作到退休年龄，还是
“迷你退休”（即工作一段时间，享受一段时间），哪种更好？这是见仁见智的
问题，但是你的孩子应该知晓有这些选择，它们的利弊所在，以及如何具体实施。

    告诉你的孩子年轻时候就开始投资的重要性，复利所带来的巨大差别，以及
如何让投资自动化。

    * Charity. Why this is an important use of your money ， and how to
make it a regular habit. This should be not only a financial issue， but
a social one. Show them how to volunteer their time and effort as well.
慈善：告诉孩子从事慈善的重要性，以及如何养成做慈善的习惯。这不仅仅是一
个财务问题，也是一种社会活动。你应示范如何将时间与精力投入到慈善活动中。