I raised 2 effective CEOs and a physician. Here’s theNo 1 ability I want more moms and dads taught kids today

Developing abilities like interest, generosity and psychological intelligence at a young age will assist kids prosper as grownups. But there’s one ability that moms and dads aren’t teaching their kids enough these days: self-regulation.

When kids find out to self-regulate, they much better comprehend the value of time and how to handle their own habits and actions.

This was something I focused on teaching my children when they were young, and it added to their success. Susan is the CEO of You Tube, Janet is a physician, and Anne is the co-founder and CEO of 23 andMe.

All 3 increased to the top of competitive, male-dominated occupations.

Twenty years earlier, kids would meet pals face to face, play outside, do puzzles and check out books.

Things have actually altered a lot ever since. We are continuously on electronic gadgets. And kids are tech-savvy. I’ve seen 2nd graders need mobile phone from their moms and dads to take images or go on social networks.

But it’s not a lot the gain access to kids have that concerns me. It’s the absence of self-discipline and self-efficacy relating to the gain access to. How much time should kids have on a digital gadget? How typically should they utilize it? What should they be doing on it?

Self- policy isn’t practically screen time. It eventually assists them end up being more capable and positive in all elements of their lives.

Self- policy starts to establish quickly in the young child and young child years, so the quicker we begin teaching it, the much better.

1. Model a healthy relationship with innovation.

Think of the last time you were consuming lunch while typing an e-mail while listening to a podcast and examining your phone each time it dented. We’ve all existed.

Children can have a tough time self-regulating due to the fact that their moms and dads design this habits. Remember, our kids are continuously viewing and copying us!

Even even worse, a survey of over 6,000 participants found that 54% of kids thought their parents used their devices too frequently. Thirty-two percent of kids felt “unimportant” when their parents were on the phone.

Unimportant. That makes me sad. How many of us adults have felt that way when someone checked their phone during a conversation? Yes, phones are addictive, but for our children’s sake and ours, we must set boundaries.

2. Teach them to be patient.

Self-regulation is made up of many skills, and one of them is patience. A study on delayed gratification found that kids who are able to wait longer for rewards tend to have better life outcomes.

Here’s the opposite of teaching patience: letting a kid be online for the entire day — in the car, in restaurants, at the dinner table.

For my girls, waiting and saving were part of our lives. We didn’t have much money when they were growing up, so we saved for what we wanted. They each had their own piggy bank, and they filled them penny by penny. We even cut coupons from the newspaper every Sunday.

When they were able to purchase something they wanted because of their patience, they felt a sense of accomplishment.

3. Let them be bored.

As a teacher, my students would sometimes complain to me that I couldn’t hold their attention during lectures. But I never got upset or offended.

I seized it as a learning opportunity and said: “I want you to go home and ask your parents if they are ever bored at their jobs. If you come back tomorrow with the answer that they are never bored, you can skip my lecture.”

That got their attention. “Being bored is preparation for life,” I told them. “You are practicing right now.” They laughed, but they all understood. Life is sometimes, or often, boring.

But you can learn a lot during those moments. You can either go straight to your phone, or you can dream: What are your goals? What are your next steps? What obstacles are in the way? Where do you feel the most excitement, the most hope?

4. Set tech rules.

This is a no-brainer, but surprisingly, many parents don’t establish the ground rules.

Here some of my top rules for technology:

1. Set up a plan with your kids, not for your kids.
2. No phones during meals, whether in your house or someone else’s.
3. No phones after bedtime. Explain the importance of sleep for brain development, and remind them that their bodies grow when they sleep.
4. Use discretion with small children. Younger kids, starting at age four, should be taught how to use cell phones in case of an emergency.
5. Children should come up with their own cell phone policies for family vacations, or any kind of social activity where they need to be present. Be sure to choose a penalty for disobeying their own policy (e.g., losing a certain amount of time on a device).
6. Discuss what pictures and audio are appropriate to share online. Explain that whatever they post leaves a digital footprint.
7. Help them understand what cyberbullying is, and its negative impact on others. I always say: “Laugh with your friends, not at them.”
8. Teach them to not give out personal identification information.

The goal is to empower them and teach self-efficacy. When kids can self-regulate, they are more likely to have more successful relationships with themselves and with others.

Esther Wojcicki is an educator, journalist, and bestselling author of “How to Raise Successful People.” She is also the co-founder of Tract.app and the chief parenting office at Sesh. Follow her on Twitter @EstherWojcicki

Don’t miss out on:

Want to make more and work less? Register for the complimentary CNBC Make It: Your Money virtual occasion onDec 13 at 12 p.m. ET.