SOUTHPAWS: 7 Advantages You Ought to Teach Your Child

I’m a southpaw. That means I’m left-handed. When I played basketball, being left-handed was a built-in advantage. My brothers, both right-handed, used to tease that I scored two extra baskets a game just because it took opponents half the game to realize I was a lefty.

An advantage puts you in a favorable position, giving you confidence and momentum. Some advantages we earn through hard work, like a degree or a new skill. Others we’re simply born with, like being left-handed.

But here’s the thing: in today’s world of comfort and convenience, we often mistake discomfort or challenge for disadvantage. In reality, those very moments of struggle and inconvenience can become the most significant advantages of all because they develop grit, focus, and character.

As parents, we want to give our children every advantage possible. The good news? They already have them. Our job is to help them recognize and use them well.

Here are seven powerful advantages every child has if we teach them to use them.

1. The Advantage of the Information Age

Students can learn just about anything online: how to code, fix an engine, play an instrument, or understand history better. Yet too often, screens use us instead of us using them. Encourage your children to be intentional: take an online course, listen to a podcast, or watch educational videos that spark curiosity. Use information to grow, not just to scroll.

2. The Advantage of Reading

Reading is a superpower that builds focus and helps young minds connect ideas that shape who they become. Encourage your children to read books on anything that challenges their mind and expands their hearts. Readers become leaders because they learn to think critically and view the world from a different perspective.

3. The Advantage of Commitment

Commitment is what transforms good intentions into real growth. A master potter once said, “The first 10,000 pots were hard. Now it’s easy.” That’s the power of sticking with something long enough to get good at it. Kids who learn to follow through, even when it’s hard, gain an advantage that will serve them for life.

4. The Advantage of Routine

Routine may sound boring, but it’s actually a secret weapon. W.H. Auden said, ‘Routine is the sign of an intelligent and ambitious person.’ Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps followed the same pre-race routine every time so consistently that when he stepped onto the blocks, he didn’t have to think. In a world full of distractions, helping your child establish consistent habits around homework, sleep, and faith provides them with an anchor.

5. The Advantage of Attitude

We can’t always choose our circumstances, but we can choose our attitude. Teach your children to “be the weather, not the weatherman.” A weatherman reports what’s happening; the weather changes everything around it. A positive, steady attitude can turn ordinary moments into opportunities.

6. The Advantage of Work Ethic

Work ethic multiplies every other advantage. Encourage your children to plan their days, follow through on commitments, and give just a little more effort than expected. A strong work ethic says, “I can be trusted,” and trust always opens doors.

7. The Advantage of Unique Gifts

Each student is uniquely designed with special gifts, experiences, and passions. Some come from joys, others from struggles, but together, they form a one-of-a-kind purpose. Help your child see that their uniqueness isn’t something to hide; it’s their most significant advantage.

Challenges and opportunities alike can be advantages. The key is learning to see them that way and teaching our children to do the same.

Dr. Chris Hobbs is the Head of School at Indian Rocks Christian School. Follow him on social media at @Dr_ChrisHobbs on most platforms, and explore IRCS on Instagram @IRCSeagles or at ircs.org.