If you are a parent, nobody needs to tell you how challenging raising kids can be. It’s definitely not a walk in the park. As much being a parent tests you in so many different ways you could perhaps never have imagined, those little moments of joy that come with looking after a growing child are worth way more than the difficult times. There’s nothing as sweet-sounding as the laughter of a child – the laughter of a child who has not a care in the world and is experiencing pure joy.
They grow up really quickly though and whenever you start thinking about teaching your kids some responsibility – when the thought crosses your mind – it’s a natural indication that it is indeed time to start teaching your growing children how to be a bit more responsible. It’s not an instructional thing where you simply bark instructions which they must follow, but rather a more natural approach to making them aware of something called taking responsibility.
Unless they’re attending boarding school, don’t count on the formal education system being enough to teach your kids some responsibility. Yes, things like having to do some homework and perhaps having to get some school letters delivered and signed does indeed introduce them to the need to take some responsibility, but that alone will never be enough. The rest is up to you. Life after all is about more than just what you do in the formal classroom setting (in preparation for the corporate world, perhaps), as there are many other areas in one’s life in which they’ll be called upon to take some responsibility.
Keep it natural
The best way children learn is if they don’t feel as if they are being taught something directly. Some do well when taught that way, but it’s definitely not an enjoyable experience. That’s for sure. So when trying to implement some responsibility-teaching lessons try to keep things as natural as possible. In other words, look towards how your lives are generally structured and try to work the lesson into the existing elements of all your lives. It’ll be left to your discretion as the parent as to what level of responsibility your children are demonstrating an ability to be able to handle and it will definitely take a lot of patience. You can’t just dump something like the need to feed a pet daily on a child who has no experience with taking care of a family pet, even if that experience would come in the form of observing how you handle such a responsibility.
Take it in increments. You may in fact be surprised at how responsible your child may already be, but it’s up to you to put measures in place to gauge their level of responsibility. Ideally, if you want to start really small, begin by completing a home decor or DIY project with your children, involving something which will require them to remain engaged once the project has been finished. Something like an indoor or balcony garden or vegetable patch will do. Their responsibilities would then entail something like watering the garden, something which you check up on regularly, reminding them when they forget and just asking them about their engagement.
Author Bio:Â
I’m a 31-year-old freelance writer from Toronto, Canada. I enjoy writing about sports, business and travel. My work has been featured on Yahoo.ca, the Huffington Post, Business.com, ESPN Radio and more.I love to feed the needs of readers everywhere.