Marketable Hobbies??

[MariDisney]

What I woud seriously suggest is this - don't focus so much on the "skill" of doing something. Focus instead of the skill of "being" - being able to look an adult in the eye and talk easily, being able to call and make a dinner reservation for a group of middle schoolers before a dance, being able to have a pleasant telephone and in-person style of communication, being able to say hello to your mom's friends instead of hiding behind her leg. THOSE are the skills I really would begin early. The rest can be easily picked up in a class or as a hobby along the way. The interpersonal skills are important to ANY kind of money-makig endeavor.

Best post ever.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Whatever happened to letting kids be kids? Why does everything have to be orchestrated and organized? There is absolutely no need to consider a child's marketable skills when they are a year and a half. No reason at all. Just sign her up for classes as they sound interesting and as she shows a preference. Do not worry about if they will translate into a marketable skill or money maker. Just let her be a child.

If she shows an aptitude for something, then you can figure out what to do with it later. If your family is as intelligent as you are trying to make yourselves out to be, you'll figure it out.

Agreed!

I speak as the mother of a 17 year old and a 13 year old. The world has changed in so many ways since my oldest was a baby. There are so many careers/jobs now that did not exist when she was small. I cannot imagine worrying about her having a hobby that was also a "marketable" skill at that age.

Call us weird, but dh and I were the parents who did not enroll their kids in every sport or activity that came along. We did not want to have their every waking moment scheduled. I know people who are like that and it did not appeal. I wanted my kids to have time to play and not have every moment structured.

The kids have picked the things they've wanted to do because they enjoy them. They've never been forced to do anything. They were also allowed to quit something when it ceased being enjoyable. Our only rule was that if they signed up for a sport, they had to complete the season. They could not just quit and leave a team in a lurch.

I also agree with DVCLiz, teaching children how to politely interact with adults is probably the best skill you can teach as a parent.

People live with way too much stress as it is. Why add stress worrying about "marketable skills" for a toddler?

 

[DVCLiz]

Best post ever.

Thanks. Well, except for the typos. I am having a steep learning curve with autocorrect.

 

[duffy]

What I woud seriously suggest is this - don't focus so much on the "skill" of doing something. Focus instead of the skill of "being" - being able to look an adult in the eye and talk easily, being able to call and make a dinner reservation for a group of middle schoolers before a dance, being able to have a pleasant telephone and in-person style of communication, being able to say hello to your mom's friends instead of hiding behind her leg. THOSE are the skills I really would begin early. The rest can be easily picked up in a class or as a hobby along the way. The interpersonal skills are important to ANY kind of money-makig endeavor.

This. Oh, and making mixed drinks, so she can always get a job as a bartender. Start by teaching her how to pour a beer.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

For the record..."Chinese" reeeeeally isn't a language. The official language of China is Mandarin and there are almost 300 different languages spoken in China.

 

[TagsMissy]

Please let your toddler be a toddler without the pressure of being 'marketable'

 

[pumpkinmomma]

The reason why you can't find classes for a 1 1/2 yo is because she is too young for organized classes. By all means participate in fun classes like kindermusic, gymboree, etc if you choose. But trying to choose hobbies to try out at this age is not going to work out for you. At all.

Wait until an age when she is ready to really learn. There is a reason why no one starts piano before age 4. You are far better off at this age just spending time with her, reading, playing games, and waiting until she is physically, developmentally and emotionally ready to start organized activities.

 

[scbelleatheart]

This. Oh, and making mixed drinks, so she can always get a job as a bartender. Start by teaching her how to pour a beer.

Hey my DS makes good money as a bartender while in college. And he can swim too.

 

[Lucille1963]

This. Oh, and making mixed drinks, so she can always get a job as a bartender. Start by teaching her how to pour a beer.

Fantastic idea! There is even an age appropriate book that will teach the little one how!

https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/baby-mix-me-a-drink

The description states:
Are you a parent? Are you thirsty? Too many of us allow our infant sons and daughters to lay about idly: napping, drinking milk, and sometimes “turning over.” Why not have them mix you a cocktail?

Tots will be entranced by the shapes and colors, all the while learning how to mix a variety of basic cocktails. An essential purchase for expectant parents, harried mothers, hungry fathers, and overly involved grandparents.

 

[Hrhpd]

The intent of my post was to see if there were other ideas opportunities I had not considered. She is in classes for socialization and to be exposed to various things. I am in the process of planning our Fall/Winter schedule. She likes classes and the different kids she meets. (Like I said the class offereings for her age are lacking). We also do a good number of playdates, and she is starting a one day a week 4 hour preschool-like class. We are a busy family. No TV. Zoos, museums, library, classes, playdates, that is they way our schedule operates. I was really trying to see if anyone had any other ideas of classes she could start now, that may result in a marketable/useful source of income (if she ever needed it) it future.

Once my daughter is old enough to decide, I will of course, act based on her preferences. At this point she doesn't really communicate preferences, and she can't do everything.

Sometimes I think English being my 3rd language and my less than superior typing/grammar results in dis miscommunication. Other times I people on the dis just like to attack any ideas that are different than their own. Either way, my daughter will continue with her classes/friends.

The absolute worst thing you can do is to over schedule your baby. Developing her imagination is tantamount to developing later skills.

Put her in a room with some blocks and stand back. Let her develop her imagination.

A kindergarten teacher I once worked with was part of a great study of over scheduled kids. Two groups of kids were put in a room with a toy.To make this brief, I won't go into the toy or how it worked. Both groups were instructed to figure out how to do something with the toy. The toy was capable of doing it, it just needed so problem solving.

The first group were kids that were in a class type setting. They had been taught the traditional way to use the toy. Since they had been "taught," they could not think outside the box and could not figure out the task.

The other group of children had never seen the toy before. They had no preconceived notion of how it was supposed to work. They used their imagination and easily came up with the solution.

Moral of the story: while some structured classes are fun for a young child, they should be kept to the minimum. Being "taught" how to do things sometimes stifles the imagination and the problem solving skills that are developed when children are young.

Children who are allowed to learn through exploration on their own are usually more able to problem solve as they get older because they are not confined to preconceived ideas of "how things should be done."

She is only a baby. Give her imaginative toys and stand back. Imagination needs to be developed before any marketable skills can even be thought of.

 

[Hrhpd]

This. Oh, and making mixed drinks, so she can always get a job as a bartender. Start by teaching her how to pour a beer.

My 15 year old can make a mean Cosmo from watching us

(Before anybody gets their panties in a twist, no, he is only allowed the occasional sip.)

 

[luvmy3]

Once my daughter is old enough to decide, I will of course, act based on her preferences. At this point she doesn't really communicate preferences, and she can't do everything.

Then why not just wait until then

 

[topolino]

Eh, I don't know. "My daughter is one and a half", and "marketable" uttered by a parent in the same conversation just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Poohforyou]

Op, one of the most important thing I did for my dd as a baby/toddler is allow her plenty of time to explore at her own pace and to just be. It's very easy to overload their brains and to over schedule to the point that their imaginations are stiffled.

A well developed imagination is the 1st step towards problem solving / analytical skills. Those are some of the best marketable skills necessary in any business and everyday life.

 

[cornflake]

The reason why you can't find classes for a 1 1/2 yo is because she is too young for organized classes. By all means participate in fun classes like kindermusic, gymboree, etc if you choose. But trying to choose hobbies to try out at this age is not going to work out for you. At all.

Wait until an age when she is ready to really learn. There is a reason why no one starts piano before age 4. You are far better off at this age just spending time with her, reading, playing games, and waiting until she is physically, developmentally and emotionally ready to start organized activities.

Eh, that's her area. Lots of places do music lessons before then. I was in lessons well before then and the school I attended is still going strong.

I'm all for music lessons for tiny tots, hence I suggested she take her to a music store or classes to see what instrument she might gravitate toward. It didn't occur to me there were no classes available there though, I thought the OP had only looked for piano and that there might be others.

 

[TagsMissy]

Eh, I don't know. "My daughter is one and a half", and "marketable" uttered by a parent in the same conversation just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

Me too.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

Eh, that's her area. Lots of places do music lessons before then. I was in lessons well before then and the school I attended is still going strong.

I'm all for music lessons for tiny tots, hence I suggested she take her to a music store or classes to see what instrument she might gravitate toward. It didn't occur to me there were no classes available there though, I thought the OP had only looked for piano and that there might be others.

There are general mommy and me music classes, sure. But not formal lessons, which is what the op appears to be looking for. A toddler is not capable of taking formal music lessons. Fun classes to introduce music and songs and let them bang around on a variety of instruments are much more appropriate.

 

[StephMK]

I agree w/the posters that say don't worry about it, she's too young and will discover her own interests. I know people who have unusual skills and still manage to make money off them. I'm the opposite, I don't really have any unique skill or enough knowledge of something to turn it into a paying source. Just expose her to stuff and wait to worry about her long term future later.

However, in order to see what people will pay others to do, check out the craigslist of a major city. I was looking at the education jobs in DC and there are tons of enrichment classes needing teachers. I wish I had some of those skills because they are pretty good paying for small gigs and would be a great 2nd job or pt job for a mom. I would think ASL will be a great skill.

 

[duffy]

As a backup, in case she is bad at mixing cocktails, how about teaching her pole-dancing?

Incidentally, who makes a career out of VCR repair? How many people pay to get their VCR fixed? If I even had one, and it broke, I'd just buy a new one at a garage sale...but pay no more than $5.

 

[Southernmiss]

Agreed!

I speak as the mother of a 17 year old and a 13 year old. The world has changed in so many ways since my oldest was a baby. There are so many careers/jobs now that did not exist when she was small. I cannot imagine worrying about her having a hobby that was also a "marketable" skill at that age.

Call us weird, but dh and I were the parents who did not enroll their kids in every sport or activity that came along. We did not want to have their every waking moment scheduled. I know people who are like that and it did not appeal. I wanted my kids to have time to play and not have every moment structured.

The kids have picked the things they've wanted to do because they enjoy them. They've never been forced to do anything. They were also allowed to quit something when it ceased being enjoyable. Our only rule was that if they signed up for a sport, they had to complete the season. They could not just quit and leave a team in a lurch.

I also agree with DVCLiz, teaching children how to politely interact with adults is probably the best skill you can teach as a parent.

People live with way too much stress as it is. Why add stress worrying about "marketable skills" for a toddler?

Yes!!!

I believe overscheduling is the downfall of our society.

And starting at 1 and a half ridiculous! At this pace, a child would burnout by 10.

What about unscheduled pajama days? What about days of just dumping out the toybox and seeing what's there? Jumping on the bed? What about days of sitting on the counter making pancakes? Why not a day of watching Sesame Street? What about walking outside to see the changes of nature?
Coloring? Play dough?

My kids all started working in their "hobby" at 12. Soccer referee. DS 18 bought his second car that way.

By your standards, we have been slacker parents. But each of our kids is very successful in school and I don't doubt that they will be in life.

By the way, DS 18 said "Huh, instead of having fun?"

Sorry any way I say this will come out wrong, but I have to say it anyway--
Are these activities for her or for you? Maybe you should look into hobbies for yourself...