BREAKING THE BOREDOM and SAMENESS (I)

PLAYING CHESS WITH AND FOR YOUR TEENAGER

If you think about it - every single instance of winning and succeeding in ANY field - sports, science, medicine, business, etc., etc. happens because the individual saw 2 or 3 or 4 steps ahead of the situation – and anticipated and pre-planned possible alternative actions.

And that's what makes a good chess player.  And before you minimize or reject the idea – be assured – it’s not just an intellectual’s game.  Huge numbers of people of all ages and intellects enjoy and play chess! The mindset development from chess is perfectly transferable and applicable to all of life.

It's a magnificent tool to teach your teenager. In a gentle, adult-conversational manner you will accomplish several goals and see multiple benefits: (o) it will give you and them something to do together, (o) it will give them something novel and different to add to their often boring current lockdown, (o) it will give them a thinking tool – of great value FOR LIFE! (o) you will begin to further strengthen your relationship with your teenager [and probably more…]

The heart, the core of it will build their ability to foresee WHAT HAPPENS IF... - huge insight for life.  

“WHAT IF…” could be –

“what if I ask ___ to “go out with me” [if that’s the current lingo] and they say No” –

or “What if the other team does something unexpected?” 

OR “What if the teacher asks _____? Will I be prepared?” 

OR “What if – the sky falls”,

OR “my car won’t start”

OR “the soufflé falls”

OR “my favorite clothes shrink in the dryer”

OR “my beloved girlfriend/ boyfriend drops me”  and on and on… 

Very often, teenagers are so muddled by their current circumstance, that their ability to see down the road is either too idealistic [“oh, that won’t happen to me”] or completely clueless – they just don’t know!

  

Secondly you will give him or her a tool for thinking and discussing issues and questions of life.

Questions like - where should I go to college?

What should I major in?

What if I don’t go to college - what will I or should I do?

What should my career be?

And the list goes on and on and on.

The ability to foresee, think about, consider, ponder and decide for or against is a huge tool for the duration of their life. If you make it a game-like situation now - you will hopefully enjoy the experience and you will gain and grow and develop them beautifully!

It’s your move!