Teaching Kids Responsibility

You can talk until you are blue in the face but it is our behaviour and actions children will observe and model.

As parents, how often do you organise your child’s schoolbag, get their sports bag packed, make their lunch, make their beds, write notes to teachers excusing your child from not completing their homework, justify your child’s behaviour to another child or their recent outburst at a family party and so on.

We sometimes might forget to follow through with the consequences or just don’t make any at all.

We are busy and distracted and our children can see this.

We talk about encouraging our children to stand up and be responsible, be independent learners and be kind but are we holding them accountable for their actions.

I came across this article “Teaching your child responsibility. 7 steps to get started”. I have included these seven steps, however, for more information and strategies please click on the link below.

These are simple steps to remind us of how we can be that good role model for our children and help support them to be their best self.

“Teaching your child responsibility. 7 steps to get started”.

1. Accountability Must Be Enforced

2. Start Teaching Your Child Accountability Early

3. Identify Responsibilities and Use Responsible Language

“I like the way you took care of that responsibility.”

4. Set the Example for Your Child

“I’m going to work. That’s my responsibility.”

5. Teach and Coach Responsibility to Your Child

“If you make a sandwich for yourself, it’s your responsibility to put the dishes in the dishwasher.”

6. Use Consequences and Rewards to Enforce Accountability

You’re getting this reward because you cleaned the car.”

And by the same token:

7. Tell Your Kids What You’ll Be Doing Differently

‘From now on, I’m going to start to point out how we meet responsibilities around here. That way, you’ll have a clearer idea of how many responsibilities I meet and why I think it’s important that you meet your responsibilities.”

https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/teach-your-child-responsibility-7-tips-to-get-started/

If, as a society today, we promote a blame/victim approach to life, our adults of the future will continue to portray this same approach to their life and teach it to future generations.

Whereas, if we promote a community of people who take responsibility for their own behaviours and ways of managing their own challenges in life, our adults of the future will continue to portray this approach to their life.

Tan Curtis

Mandy Barr

Counsellor