7 traits kids need to succeed

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Think tank article.

• Grit
  
• Curiosity
  
• Self-control
  
• Social intelligence
  
• Zest
  
• Optimism
  
• Gratitude
  

An interesting set. One wonders if many kids these days fit this bill.

[cheeseman1 5]

not many were im from

[Dudely 10]

Kids? Maybe wait until us adults can get our act together before expecting children to have the sense of mind to develop self-control.

[Easy Bakes 253]

that last item is almost completely Absent nowadays

[Haljackey 17,398]

Also note that kids are little scientists, always experimenting and discovering the world around them.

Next time you see a kid bashing pots and pans, don't scold them, instead try to think why they are doing that. They may be in fact learning about acoustics... The harder the bash the louder the sound. The bigger the pot the lower the tone.

Allow them to explore and experiment... at least to a certain extent. I remember that I made a lot of messes and broke a lot of things when I was a kid... But it was all in the name of science

[hym 358]

I remember that I made a lot of messes and broke a lot of things when I was a kid... But it was all in the name of science

Just like how my attempt to make a night light wound up creating lightning in the kitchen.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

that last item is almost completely Absent nowadays

Some would say that 'gratitude' is the sincerest form of hate.

[Duke87 1,070]

Indeed, the attitude you walk through life with will affect what opportunities are open to you. Not that there is one right way; different jobs will demand different kinds of personalities. Nonetheless, there are some traits which are generally counterproductive which are unfortunately too prevalent: narcissism, learned helplessness, lack of work ethic...

[Easy Bakes 253]

that last item is almost completely Absent nowadays

Some would say that 'gratitude' is the sincerest form of hate.

I guess gratitude may be different then basic manners.

[Duke87 1,070]

Gratitude is manners with sincerity. The difference being that often people say "thank you" and whatnot only because they feel they're supposed to, not because they actually mean anything by it. At least, I find myself in that position a lot.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The common courtesy of "please" and "thank you" is so built-in to me that it is, indeed, automatic. Manners are the lubricants that make civilized conversation possible.

As Sir Winston once said when declaring war on Japan, "If you have to kill a man, it does no harm to smile."

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

We're big believers in manners. I see kids all the time, small ones, preschool ones even, who talk like they're yakuza thugs. What parent in their right mind thinks it's a good thing that their kid walks around all day with a huge attitude sneering at others? While hearing a little kid proudly shout a recently-heard curse word is unspeakably hilarious, I think it's pretty different from the kids who use poor language in normal, daily speech. I don't think it's good when the kids are blatantly disrespectful like that, and our kid knows he has to say 'please' and 'thank you.' He says them like it's the most fun thing in the world, which is amusing.

My god, that sounds so preachy and arrogant, but I'm not sure there is a more tactful way to put that.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Preach away. It is part of parenting. If kids don't learn social oil at home, they will suffer for it when they grow up.

[Hellken 1,658]

Preach away. It is part of parenting. If kids don't learn social oil at home, they will suffer for it when they grow up.

Polite children and teenagers with good manners are really hard to find today. Many parents don't seem to care at all.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Their parents didn't care either. What goes around, comes around.

[Fatherted 129]

One wonders if they ran out of ideas at "grit" and "zest".

[zahrul3 472]

I actually gained my manners when my parents told me to take public transportation. Most kids eventually find their manners, usually around the high school age or during/after college.

[MandelSoft 2,775]

One thing that I find lacking from the list is patience. Most kids nowadays want to get immediately what they see and don't have the patience to read carefully. But it's partially in the hasty world that we are in nowadays with 24-hour economies and lots of social media...

From the list at the top I have no idea what Zest and Grit mean exactly. Of the other items all but one apply to me. The exception is social intelligence, which is one of the common aspects where people with autism suffer problems from. I'm trying to compensate with politeness, but still I can be socially awkward...

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

I assume zest means something like love of life, I can picture several of my students who have it, they are cheerful and energetic all the time, even when they tell me how tired and bored they are. Grit I would imagine could be synonymous with perseverance, like being the kind of person who can stick things out when they get tough and push through adversity. Those are very good traits to have, I think.

[Easy Bakes 253]

I assume zest means something like love of life, I can picture several of my students who have it, they are cheerful and energetic all the time, even when they tell me how tired and bored they are. Grit I would imagine could be synonymous with perseverance, like being the kind of person who can stick things out when they get tough and push through adversity. Those are very good traits to have, I think.

Well explained. and those are good traits, a lot of kids don't have the resolve to handle bad situations, i blame child psychology.

every time something bad happens to a kid they send them to therapy.

[MandelSoft 2,775]

I assume zest means something like love of life, I can picture several of my students who have it, they are cheerful and energetic all the time, even when they tell me how tired and bored they are.

If that's the case, that totally applies to me! Life is worth living every day, so enjoy the days you have in the limited times of your life. Remember, all good things are limited and that's why they are so good

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Grit can be discussed under the topics of resilience and toughness. A person with grit doesn't give over easily, if at all.

Zest is an easy word for joy of living. One should enjoy life, it is your only chance.

[Duke87 1,070]

Nowadays the term "zest" is used more to refer to spiciness (figurative or literal). e.g., "give it some zest". We can thank zesty fries for this definition...

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Those darn fries...

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I think most of us here have a zest for living.

In the kitchen, zest is the grated upper skin of a citrus fruit, by the way.

[Fatherted 129]

I despise this mysterious preconception by gamers that kids are rude and squeaky. I'm 13, but would you have known.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

There is no preconception on my part. Having raised two kids of my own to be polite, caring adults, I think I have a pretty good handle on this.

The part that puts many people off on the youngest generation is often the rampant Benjamin-Spockism that has spoiled many a good child, and turned them into totally incompetent people. Whether one likes it or not, a little exposure to discipline and failure is good for kids. Bubble wrapping children just gets them in trouble later, to the disgust of many of us.

The current trend towards denigrating school teachers' position 'in loco parentis' indicates that parenting skills and abilities have eroded considerably. Some children manage to overcome this and become decent people, but the number of successes in this regard seems to be shrinking. I think the main problem is that of 'babies having babies', that is immature parents not being prepared for the responsibilities that go with bringing another life into the world.

There is too much emphasis on keeping a child with its 'age group' these days. A child easily falls out of this group when it cannot keep up with the 'norm' and shoving a slower child ahead on a 'no child left behind' basis is a grave error. Some children are simply slow starters, and need an extra year or so to get going. Age has nothing to do with it. Society seems to want kids to be in some kind of lock-step these days, and that is a shame. It is also contrary to the principles of freedom. Adolf the Aryan was the last one who successfully regimented his country's children, and he did it with a pistol.

[Easy Bakes 253]

When you make every one "average" that lowers the general intelligence of the whole group.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Yes, it is the 'Poppy effect'. If you stick your head up, everyone does their best to chop it off.