Your Kids Are Your Biggest Investment: 4 Things You Can Teach Them

We all know the lyrics: "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." I think you know the rest, so I'll stop singing now. In fact, I would argue that in a world of wealth building and "paper chasing," our kids are our most important investment. Little lessons we choose to share or not share can make a huge difference in their lives over the next 50 years, as well as the lives of our grandkids.

So, I thought I would lay out four things that we might want to teach our kids as mantras for a better life. There's nothing wrong with being a little redundant, even if it annoys them. That redundancy is what they'll be thanking you for when they're 40. I can say that these are the things I teach my own kids, and I just pray that they decide to listen.

1) Education, education, education: Most of you may know about my book, 'Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College.' The reason I made this the first book I wrote after finishing my Ph.D. was primarily because I saw the difference education made in my life. I didn't like school when I was young, but when I saw what it could do for me, I became a fanatic. The payoff was greater than my wildest dreams, and it turned out to be the best decision I've ever made.

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Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Oprah Winfrey
When I was eight years old, I met a woman, who uttered one sentence to me that I never forgot. She said, "You are as pretty as a speckled pup, and you hae such beautiful bee-stung lips." That special moment stayed with me all my life because her simple words -- said with sincerity, graciousness, and kindness -- made me begin to see myself differently.

Steve Granitz, WireImage

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Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Jennifer Hudson
Back in school, I used to have stage fright. In order to get past it, I would remind myself that we all are the same on the inside. We all have the same fears and insecurities. The difference with me is that I've learned to face my fear. Girls who want to get somewhere in their lives have to learn to face fear.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Celine Dion
Make sure you choose good friends and that those friends tell you the truth. It's very easy to say to people, 'You're beautiful and you're making the right choices,' but it's very important to choose good people to tell you the truth.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Queen Latifah
Even if no one else loved me, I had to love me because there are times when you don't have a crowd to roll with. You have to stand on your own two. And you have to believe in yourself when no one else will. That's the only way you will accomplish your goals.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Diane von Furstenberg
My mother survived fourteen months in a concentration camp in her early twenties, so feeling sorry for myself was not an option. I am so grateful that my mother pressured me to build my character. She made me strong and independent, made me accept who I was, and made me want to do the best I could.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Jamie Lee Curtis
Self-esteem is rooted in estimable acts. Anything you work hard on for is a good foundation and will lead to a good feeling about yourself. Helping others, being brave, facing fears and limits and pushing past them is the way into a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and then into self-esteem.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Janet Jackson
I had a difficult time looking at myself in the mirror. So often I would cry because I didn't find myself talented or attractive at all. I didn't have Naomi Campbell legs. I didn't think I was pretty. I didn't like my body. My level of confidence was very low. I struggled for years -- I mean years!

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Kelly Clarkson
Honestly, everyone is different. That's what makes us all cool. I'm not the hottest pop star or the ugliest. I don't understand why everyone would want to be like somebody else. And it's really hard to describe because at the end of the day, there's always going to be someone smarter, prettier and more talented...so why even care about it?

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Governor Kathleen Sebelius
I think the whole notion of teamwork is important -- whether it's a project getting done at work or surviving life with your family or playing a sport. Being on a team helps you learn how to use and maximize everybody's talent, how to share, how to become more unselfish.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

Alicia Keys
There are so many incredible and strong women, but I think the majority of the images that we see on TV, magazines, movies, videos, etc. make us feel less than perfect. In many ways, there are so many unrealistic images that are shown to define beauty and they are impossible to live up to. I think they affect us and make us question ourselves.

Celebrated Women Speak to Girls

With the massive amount of effort and ability our kids put into learning the latest dances or playing sports, we should challenge them to become equally diligent about learning. It's no fun to go through life incarcerated in the prison of ignorance.

2) Build wealth and save money: Getting a good job is nice, but that's not the key to freedom. The key to liberation is actually building wealth in a way that makes your money work for you. At the very least, you can have financial security by engaging in consistent savings techniques, instead of taking your check to the mall as soon as it enters your hands. The best thing about money, however, is that it doesn't just give you financial security. Consistent access to money also gives you emotional, social and psychological security. Money is power, and a lack of access to money can make you feel completely powerless.

3) Happiness and optimism: No matter how well off you are, none of it matters if you aren't happy. Happiness starts inside, and it can usually be gained by having a consistent commitment to unapologetic optimism. Teach your kids to seek happiness but to always realize that the greatest part of that journey is inside their own minds. I suffered from depression as a teenager, and when I learned the value of optimism, my life was remarkably better.

4) Travel the world: I feel sorry for kids who know the 'hood, live in the 'hood and never leave the 'hood. All they know is what they see around them, instantly eliminating millions of possibilities that could have led to a far more fulfilled life experience. If you can expose your kids to other ways of life, go for it. Force them to get a passport at the age of 18. Take them out of the country yourself if you can. You'll find that these little decisions will make all the difference when they are older.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.