Ways to Grow True Leaders in Your Children this Summer

This conversation is Sponsored by 4-H. All opinions are my own.

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We wait for it all year! SUMMERTIME! OK, so maybe our kids wait for it more. Either way, summer is a time for family, fun and relaxation. But even if you plan on spending all of your days at the pool watching the kids play, summertime is also a great time to teach kids that helping others is an amazing thing! It is also a time to Grow True Leaders! Children who have strong leadership skills are more apt to make good decisions and walk their own path as opposed to letting others guide them. I want three strong, independent, little girls who have the confidence in themselves needed to achieve their goals. So teaching them how to organize, lead and succeed is a priority for me. 4-H believes the same thing and on April 4, 4-H launched their “Grow True Leaders” campaign, which aims to address America’s need for well-equipped youth that are prepared to step into leadership roles. Taking their advice and ideas, I am helping my kids hone their skills this summer.

Last weekend the girls and I headed to my niece’s 16th birthday party. All the way there the girls talked about a lemonade stand. They have been asking for a while to make one, to stand out at the pool, and to sell to those who passed by. We talked further and I asked them what they wanted to do with the money. My oldest, who has a heart that could engulf the whole world, piped up that she would buy beds and food for the animal shelter.

I called my brother and asked if he could help and we were on our way to raising some money with lemonade and cookies for the local animal shelter! We raised $27 in our first hour and we are headed out again tonight for the after work crowd to earn some more this evening! I can not believe how excited and how involved my kids are with this. Even my youngest, who is still at that age where it is all about her, talked about all the cute stuff the puppies waiting for homes could get!

Raising true leaders is not a foreign concept but it is one that we need to focus on now. 4-H believes that every child has the potential to be a true leader, but need to be taught the life skills and given opportunities to be such. 4-H programs give young people the experiences they need to develop these skills. As part of this campaign, 4-H is recruiting parents and others that play a role in raising children to create a movement that recognizes youth leaders in communities across the country by asking them to“Shout Out” with the hashtag #TrueLeaders. Who do you know in your life who is a true leader? Show off your kids lemonade stand or activity that highlights how they are helping out this summer and be proud of what they accomplish!