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Teaching Responsibility

By Kamlyn Jurgensen November 7, 2014
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. ~Denis Waitley

According to a Pew Research Center report, responsibility is the most important quality a person can have. As a parent, it can be the hardest quality to teach. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
  • Start teaching responsibility early and often. 
  • Make a set of rules and consequences and stick with them.
  • Reward honesty.
  • Model responsible behavior – making the bed, putting clothing away.
  • Use inclusive language such as “we are going to clear the table now.”
  • Make your expectations known – be mindful of age and maturity.
  • Make the consequences of failing to meet expectation known.
Teaching teens is no different than any other age group and, hopefully, if you’ve been training your children all along it will not be too difficult a transition for you.
  • Give your teens responsibilities around the house.
  • Set realistic (yet optimistic) expectations for your teen.
  • Soften hard and fast rules to become guidelines – For example, instead of having a set 10PM curfew every night of the week, be open to talking to your teen about extending one or two nights to a different time. 
  • Let them experience consequences – If they stay out too late and can’t get up for Saturday chores, then you can institute the 10PM curfew again, at least for a while. 
  • Help them plan to reach their goals - They are responsible for taking the actions needed to reach it without your prompting (also known as nagging).
  • Encourage open lines of communication with your teen – They are transitioning to adulthood and need your advice and guidance. Try to keep that judgmental tone from your voice and demeanor during your discussions; this will help them open up to you even more.
By making your children responsible for their time, actions and behaviors during their formative years, you will automatically engender independence in them and will give them two of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child, the quality of responsibility and early independence.