<p>"Believe it or not, now my older daughter is very good at getting things done and she is 23. She is trusted to handle large deals on her desk with very little over sight now. She learned by example - never take no for an answer, there is always a work around. Kids could learn it the hard way, or they could learn by coaching. More often than not, when parents say they let their kids do it by themselves, it is more because they don’t want to be bothered. It is not easy to pick up the phone to negotiate with a total stranger, even for adults.</p>
<p>D2’s school is over subscribed this year again. There was no way she could have gotten what she wanted without a bit of pushing. But she did manage to get an on campus job by herself, even though she wasn’t on FA and an incoming freshman. I guess she did learn about getting a head start from me."</p>
<p>Well, my child learned by listening to me on the phone for years before he went to college (I am a bulldog.) Whether it’s his style or not I have no idea as I don’t involve myself anymore but he certainly seems quite capable, at the age of 18, of doing whatever he needs to do without mummy or daddy’s assistance. </p>
<p>I also made him start speaking up for himself at a very young age (6 or 7) when problems cropped up, by insisting he talk to his teacher or the school principal on his own.</p>