The moment that we become independent and develop the skills that will help us to become self-sufficient in the future is quite hard to identify. One might even go as far as claiming that such a moment does not exist since there is no predetermined set of skills that guarantees a simple and easy life as an adult. However, the main characteristics of preparedness toward adulthood can be located. Resilience, resourcefulness, and self-reliance have proven to be quite important qualities to foster in children in order to build their independence and self-sufficiency, as my experience of working with a schedule as a child showed. By introducing me to the necessity of managing my own schedule as she presented me with the long-awaited PC game, my mother taught me an important life lesson that would guide me afterward toward a more mature outlook on responsibility.
Getting the game console was my one true wish at the time since it offered possibilities that stretched far beyond my childish imagination. However, having reached a rather respectable age of eight, I gained quite a range of additional responsibilities, which mostly concerned doing minor household chores, listening to teachers, and staying out of trouble. Therefore, with my troubles concentrating on the subjects that I found particularly boring, it was quite doubtful that I would ever get the long-awaited game until I made a change. While my mother is not a rigid woman, she has a rather strong stance on raising children and the consequences of caving to their immature demands. Therefore, making a personal change seemed to be the only option.
The idea of creating a personal schedule was one of the breakthroughs that came to be after another hour of desperate pleas for the game. After I explained to her as reasonably as an eight-year-old could that I would be mocked by every other kid for not having the gaming system, she retorted by saying that I would not have the time to play it anyway since the rest of the activities take most of my day. As I wistfully looked at the screenshot of the game, I realized that the time for becoming a responsible adult had come.
After charting a basic set of activities and the time needed to complete them, I was honestly shocked at how much time I wasted on practically pointless activities. When I presented my idea of a well-managed day to my mother, she was pleasantly surprised and finally allowed me to have the game as long as I followed the routine. Although she made several minor suggestions and corrections, the rest of the schedule was constructed and later on managed entirely by me, which gave me a huge confidence boost and introduced me to the concepts of independence and personal responsibility.
By being presented with the responsibility of managing my schedule and planning the key activities, including studying and leisure, in the way that benefitted me best, I learned the importance and value of sleep, leisure, and study. Namely, I recognized that using more time for specific activities would mean giving less attention to other aspects of my life. As a result, I managed to develop a much more mature approach toward my studying and leisure than most of my peers, building responsibility, resilience, independence, and self-sufficiency. Although there were still much more nuances to learn, the basis for future development was laid.