Brilio.net/en - For Asians, especially Indonesians, most children stay with parents long after they are graduated from university. While most westerners let their children get out of the house from 18 years old for college and they might continue to live by themselves afterward, most Indonesians keep their children as long as they could.
Mostly the reason is money wise, so they can save more money instead of paying for room rent. Some parents do not like to have their babies (no matter how grown up they are) to live far from them. But most parents forget that there are more benefits for letting children out of house than to keep them home, apart from the financial problem.
Here are some of the benefits children can gain while living far from family:
1. Learn to be independent
Even people have reached certain age, it doesnt guarantee their maturity and independence. Children who are given more trust and responsibilities since early years tend to be more mature in handling things in real life. When one is no longer under protection of the family, they learn to do things by themselves because they know they are the only one they can rely on to. This is a good exercise, especially for boys, when they would build a family in the future so they could be a reliable head of the family.
2. Learn to manage money
When children live with their parents, it is easier for them to ask for money. Most children tend to waste it because they dont understand the value of money and how hard their parents had to work to earn it. When one stays alone, usually parents give them money periodically so they have to manage it wisely to make it through the days. When one learn to appreciate money, one learn more about values than price.
3. Learn to deal with loneliness
It is never easy to live by one self, no matter how old we are. When children is pushed to stay by themselves, they learn to deal with aloneness and loneliness. There are no family who surround them with comfort and they have to learn to deal with it. If done right, children would stay in touch and make a tighter bond with family when they are away and value the togetherness when the family is gathered.
4. Learn to deal with other people
We would never live alone in this world, even when we stay alone in a house. There would be roommates, housemates, neighbors, and so on. When children stay by themselves, they would learn how to communicate with various kinds of people and this would enrich them with knowledge and experiences. This would be a good provision for their future, especially for the working world.
5. Learn to do their chores
Image: Getty
Most of Indonesian households in bigger cities have helper who would do most of the chores at home. This made children spoiled and not able to do daily home works. While the prosperity level in Indonesia is increasing and it is harder to find housemaid, younger generation is demanded to do their own daily chores. It may be a simple thing, but cleaning up their own mess would help children to value the things they have and to be clean and tidy all the time.