Reclaiming what makes us human, starts at home
The human skills every family should think about when shaping their culture
Parents today are facing a moving target. Technology keeps shifting shape, and we are expected to manage it, control it, use it, and somehow stay sane while trying to keep our kids safe. Every conversation with parents touches on technology with worry and exhaustion.
While technology improves at speed in becoming smarter, more personalised, and more “human”, many of us are slipping away from the very skills we are naturally built for. Creativity. Imagination. Critical thinking. Storytelling. Empathy. These are the skills that technology imitates. They are also the skills many families unintentionally suppress.
At home, many of us still measure success through old-school markers. Good grades. Obedience. Children who do as they are told. It may not be as extreme as before, but when emotions run high, these expectations become our default, often a reflection of how we were parented. When we silence questions or label them as “talking back”, we push down the very skills our children need to develop in the world they are growing into.
As we design our family culture, it helps to consider the human skills that we all need to thrive, assess our current behaviour and environment, and think about how we can support the learning at home.
Skills that make us human
In a world constantly being redefined, one of the most reliable strategies is to strengthen our human abilities. The same skills that helped us survive, adapt, and connect are the ones that will carry us through the next chapter of our lives. And the best place to plant these skills is at home, in small everyday moments.
Here are some core skills families should consider:
Thinking Skills: For Clarity & Decision-making
Learn to gather evidence, ask good questions and weigh options. This reduces blame and shame, and builds confidence to navigate complex situations.Emotional Skills: For Empathy & Regulation
See emotions as signals rather than threats, be curious and hold space for one another. This helps us respond with care, rather than react on autopilot. People often learn to understand themselves by being understood.Creative Skills: For Experimentation & Adaptability
Encourage imagination, play, and curiosity. By testing possibilities and embracing imperfection. This builds resilience, flexibility, and confidence to explore the unknown.Collaboration Skills: For working with Diverse Personalities
Create space for everyone’s voice, listen to different perspectives, and lean on one another’s strengths. This builds respect, teamwork, and stronger relationships.
Start where you are
Many of us were never taught these skills growing up. Some only learned them at work. And even for those who use these skills professionally, adapting them to family life is not automatic. Home is different. It asks more of us.
The good news is, wherever we are starting from, we can begin learning now.
By learning and practising these skills at home with our children, we rediscover the imperfect but authentic connections that no technology can replace, and give ourselves a real chance at being the best humans we can be, together.