**This is a blog post that was written in 2017. It’s only 8 or 9 years ago, but Wow! – the world has changed massively since this conversation happened. I hadn’t even heard of AI back then, and now it’s already a huge feature in our lives. This makes the theme of this post even more pertinent. We can’t know the future that our kids will inhabit and work in. So allowing them to run with current technologies and not hold them to outdated standards for the sake of it is evn more important today.**

Sometimes I panic that my kids don’t have ‘enough’ trophies or certificates. Will they hate me when they’re grown because I didn’t force them to do ballet or karate? Will they feel like failures and drink themselves into an early grave?

My business website got a thousand hits in its first two days, and three international orders. That’s epic! I don’t need certificates if I can run a successful business – I’ll always be able to look after myself. 

I thought I’d better put things right before it was too late, so I asked my kids what they thought about the situation, and as usual, they proved to be wiser than society gives kids credit for.

Nope, they said. We do not feel lacking because of the absence of a trophy shelf in our house. Are you sure? I asked, and they elaborated.

Mum, we do the things we love, and we’re so glad that you let us do that. We don’t want to do karate or street dance or golf or cricket. We do OUR things and we enjoy them. We don’t get certificates but we get other cool things. We prefer it that way.

For example?

Well, one of my heroes loved a photo I’d taken, and shared it with tens of thousands of followers on social media.

I won a game I’d been trying really hard to master.

I managed to make my horse do something I’d always wanted to learn, without any outside help – now I know I can learn anything.

I stood my ground when an adult told me off for something unfairly, and I felt so amazing. I wouldn’t have been able to do that a couple of years ago.

I can shop, budget and cook for myself, and I’m proud of that. 

My business website got a thousand hits in its first two days, and three international orders. That’s epic! I don’t need certificates if I can run a successful business – I’ll always be able to look after myself. 

And they kept going…

But I’m insistent – What about when you’re older though? People will expect you to have a CV and they’ll probably not value the things you’re telling me, even though those things mean a lot to you. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to play it safe and get some recognised certificates? 

TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN…

Things are different now, they assure me. Our skills are recorded on social media. People can see at a glance all the struggles we’ve gone through, and where we’ve ended up. We have an instant CV of our whole lives. Our skills are clear from the videos and photos we post. The people in our field get to know us and we can get in touch with people to help us learn and work together. There’s really going to be no need for paper CVs and old-fashioned stuff like that in a few years, Mum.

Now, all parents probably have their social media fears and dislikes, but I have to admit that my kids have a point. The world is very different now compared to just a few years ago, and our kids are forging paths to a future that we can’t even imagine. I won’t insist that they take time away from their lives to fill a folder with random certificates they don’t even want, and loads of other kids have carbon copies of. They know where they’re going, I just need to relax and trust they’ll get there.

Do You Agree? DO Kids NEED Certificates and Trophies?

Of course, my kids do have certificates they’ve been awarded at various activities (orienteering, and swimming spring to mind). One of my daughter’s proudest possessions at one point was a Blue Peter badge! But we don’t chase them per se.

Do you think certificates and trophies are important? How do we celebrate achievements in alternative ways? And what achievements are worth celebrating?