Future-Proofing Our Kids

When engineers build something expensive and important, they try to “future-proof” it. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, future-proofing means “to design software, a computer, etc. so that it can still be used in the future, even when technology changes.” In other words, something that’s future-proof is able to adapt as the world changes.

Isn’t that what we want for our kids? Wouldn’t it be great if we could “future-proof” them?

We sort of can – but it requires a cultural mindshift. What kids need from parents and teachers is the chance to become resourceful and resilient enough so that when jobs change — or turn into apps — they can land on their feet. In turn, this means they need some practice dealing with disappointment, risk, and pivoting.

In a society that expects schools to send home a note every time a kid falls on the playground, that’s not the direction we’re going. Treating today’s children as physically and emotionally fragile is the opposite of “future-proofing.”

For example: Kids who climb trees “dose” themselves with a bit more fear each time. They are acclimating to risk. Ground those kids and they’re safer from falling. But they’re less safe from a future that’s going to be, at times, scarier than any tree top.

Trying to prevent all childhood disappointment and discomfort doesn’t work. So here’s how engineers approach future-proofing, and how we can apply the same concepts to kids.

By future-proofing, the goal is to:

In construction terms, this means using durable materials that can handle the elements. In human terms, it means kids learning to adapt to changing, even challenging, circumstances. This is something kids do all day long in play. When one kid says, “You guys are hogging the ball. I quit!” the others have to adapt to this disruption to keep the fun going. Eventually they do and the play goes on. Lesson? Kids need more time to play, argue, and work things out — without adult interference.

Similarly, when confronted by an insult or hurt feelings, future-proofed kids may flinch, but they don’t fall apart. If we bring up kids telling them they are so fragile they could be permanently hurt by an unkind word or deed, we do them no favors. Future-proofing kids means letting them have some sub-optimal (not Dickensian!) experiences and discover they are “rubber, not glue.”

When we only focus kids on building their “college resume” skills they don’t have time to grow all the other interests that might serve them well. The hours a kid spends drawing, tinkering, or exploring might be more useful in the long run than four years of French or violin lessons.

Nothing endures but change. Simply memorizing things that can be Googled is already obsolete. Learning how to come up with a new idea, create consensus, even tell a joke — these are “non-robot skills” that won’t become obsolete, because the robots can’t do them. Kids need lots of non-lesson time.

No one is going to sail through life without some setbacks. Kids are fortified when they are allowed to experience hundreds of scrapes, falls and even betrayals, each one building another tiny layer of resilience. Giving kids trophies as if they’ve won when they’ve lost, or intervening in all arguments as if they can’t handle a spat—these take away the opportunity to survive a minor setback, see that it’s not the end, and be fortified for the next.

To engineers, this means to consider what already exists in the built environment, rather than just tearing everything down and starting anew. When it comes to kids, consider what already exists when they are born: Curiosity. Sociability. Resilience. Our kids come pre-equipped to take some risks and deal with some disappointments.

Our job, then, is to step back a bit and let our kids leap – and stumble — into the future.