And for a person to be innovative in their approach to managing their social and professional lives, they need to be cognizant emotionally, creative, flexible, adaptive, think critically, solve complex problems and be able to manage their relationships. These are skills which cannot be developed overnight and need to be honed gradually right from childhood. Some ways this can be done are:

• Emotional Intelligence – Which is a person’s ability to interact with others in a socially intelligent manner. We can help build our child’s emotional intelligence by helping them recognize their own emotions, whether it be happiness, frustration, anger or disappointment and taking ownership for what they feel and how it can affect others. For example, if something changes in school for them, they would be able to deal with it more easily after sensing how it affects them and what they feel. Similarly, if they are able to understand the moods and feelings of their friends, teachers and parents, they would be able to interact with them more meaningfully.

• Critical Thinking – How does your child tend to think? Do they believe everything they see or hear or do they ask questions and want to understand the logic behind stated facts? Are they open-minded and thinking of alternative solutions to the problems they face? These are the critical thinking skills which would help them make rational and sound independent judgements as they grow up. Children’s critical thinking skills can be developed by making it fun, giving them the opportunity to express divergent thought, encouraging them to ask questions, research the facts, be logical and linking relevant information.
• Creativity – Some consider creativity to be an inborn talent, though in reality this too is a skills which can be developed with practice. Creativity in children can be fostered by providing them resources for creative expression, encouraging them to make their mistakes and learn in the process, giving them the freedom and autonomy to explore their ideas and do what they want.

• Relationship Management – One of the most important aspects for children is developing friendships and positive relationships with their peers. Parents can help their children in this by modelling appropriate behavior which their children can learn from, encourage positivity in dealing with situations, provide opportunities for their children to try out various activities which would help them build friendships on shared interests, building confidence and good manners.

While these and other relevant skills do not guarantee to remove future uncertainty, they certainly can help create an individual who is better positioned to navigate their way through to social, financial, emotional and mental well-being!