I stayed in the car and let my kids shop alone. It gave them independence, but showed me I have more to teach them. The author sent her kids into the grocery store alone. Courtesy of the author I let my kids shop alone for the first time and saw their excitement. The experience boosted their confidence and sense of independence. It also showed me gaps in their real-world skills, like handling money. As parents, there are some lessons we don't realize we need to teach our children. Not that they wouldn't learn it regardless, but having the patience to walk them through experiences we take for granted — writing a check , telling analog time, being safe when walking alone — is a skill we as parents need to sharpen. Grocery shopping is one of those important life skills that we don't realize we need to prepare our children for. I sent my kids to do the shopping I realized that one day when my children — 12, 10, and 7 — asked me if they could wait in the car while I made a quick grocery store run .…