Top Parenting Responsibilities in the 2020s

Not every parenting responsibility is universal, but many are common, particularly in an era when many older teens continue to live at home during college and afterward. Couples with older children often struggle to find a middle path between doing very little to assist them and going all out to provide shelter and financial support. In the case of younger children, moms and dads discover that teaching them to be safe in a very unsafe world is near the top of the list of parental responsibilities.

Other essential roles for parents include getting youngsters ready to drive, modeling sensible habits, and teaching life’s most valuable lessons. When sons and daughters graduate from high school, their mothers and fathers are usually the go-to resources for financial support. Higher education can set a young person on the road toward a rewarding career and life, but without funding, the dream can’t even begin. Here are the top responsibilities of modern dads and moms.

Teaching Safety in a Dangerous World

Stranger Danger was a major topic in the 1990s for dads and moms who wanted to teach youngsters about the potential hazards of speaking with adults they did not know. That concept led to a more complex curriculum for children that included lessons about home security, how to call for help, whom to trust, how to fight off an aggressive stranger, and more. In an increasingly threatening social environment, kids need parents to explain the rules of the road when it comes to dealing with people outside of the family.

Helping Kids Finance a College Education

The single most efficient way to assist your child with college-related expenses is to leverage the power of homeownership. For millions of moms and dads, that means using a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to gain access to ready cash that can be used for any purpose under the sun, not just educational expenses. However, parents need to understand that the amount of the HELOC is directly tied to how much equity they have in their property.

Those who have been paying down mortgages for many years will likely have no problem getting however much cash they need to help kids pay for schooling. But even people who have only resided in their homes for a few years can still make a HELOC work. The first step is to speak with the lender and find out all the particulars about timing, amounts, and how to get started on an application.

Getting Teens Ready to Drive

For millions of teenagers every year, passing a driving test and getting a license are the two rites of passage that mark the beginning of adulthood. Nervous fathers and mothers can either hire professionals to do the instruction via Drivers’ Ed courses or teach them the basics in the family car. Either way, the phase is one that sets adults’ nerves on end as they anxiously endure those first few months after youngsters receive licenses and can legally drive alone on the open roads. Part of the package is helping youngsters get insurance coverage, gain confidence behind the wheel, and perhaps assisting them with buying a car of their own.