Sometimes as a parent you might have problem to teach your kids responsibility. You should teach your kids responsibility when they are at young age so they get used to it in life.
Best tips to teach your kids responsabilities
To teach your kids responsibility is much more than making them clean their room and keeping the house tidy. Helping them adopt a responsible behavior from their earliest age helps them perform better at school. They will also become more successful later in life. I admit, I’ve been through many challenges with my son when it comes to responsibilities and chores. I’ve been seeing even greater challenges in families around me. Yet, things don’t have to be so complicated if your strategies are well-organized!
Here is a list for you to orientate and enhance your kids’ responsible behavior painlessly.
Don’t boss around – ask!
Giving too many orders can create a frustration in kids. You can modify your tone and still say what you wanted to say, without giving out the impression of a bossy parent – it’s all about the narrative we use.
For instance, rather than ordering my kids to brush their teeth before bed, I ask them “So, have you done everything to get ready for bed?”. You can always use a suggestive language rather than demanding phrases.
Work on the routine
By teaching your children some things are a regular part of their lives, you will avoid presenting the responsibilities, such as house chores, as something incredibly annoying.
Start by teaching them they should establish a healthy sleeping routine and organized mealtime. You will then easily continue teaching them they are responsible for picking up their toys and keeping their room tidy.
Lose the “you’re irresponsible” label
If your kids keep hearing you think of them as irresponsible, they will accept it and feel bad for it but also possibly fail to change it.
Adopt a more positive approach to support them and help them become more responsible. If they want to skip their veggies for instance, you can tell them they are so amazing and you believe they can become even more amazing after they eat their broccoli.
Tell them they are big kids
For some reason, many children can’t wait to grow up! And when you tell them “you are a big boy/girl now, you can do it”, the chances are they will accept their new chores and responsibilities as a normal part of growing up.
Reward their good behavior
When your child manifests responsible behavior, make sure to show your appreciation.
This doesn’t mean you have to bribe them with material things – your kind words and praises are sometimes enough. By seeing how much their responsible behavior mean to you, they will be more keen on continuing with it.
Let your kids be around you when you’re doing housework
Many moms just hate when their children want to be around them while they are cleaning, cooking or doing other stuff around the house. Most of them are afraid the kids might get hurt. It is okay to let them be around from time to time or even let them help. Don’t worry – you’re with them, so they are safe. Even if they don’t participate, they can still watch and learn.
Forget about perfection
If your five-years-old helps you fold your clothes, you can’t expect the clothes to be perfectly folded like in a boutique.
For the beginning, you can appreciate your child’s enthusiasm. The same goes for other types of responsible behavior that doesn’t come out perfect. Don’t go too much into details, and don’t go into details that are “wrong” at all. It may discourage them.
Set the ground rules
Responsibilities don’t come naturally to all of us. Kids need to be taught that avoiding responsibilities has consequences.
Let them know that, for instance, staying up late will make them tired tomorrow or avoiding vegetables is bad for their health. Some parents also reinforce the “if” rules (“if you don’t clean your room, we won’t go to a picnic this weekend”), but this can easily turn to a blackmail and a great source of frustration for your children.
Show responsibility
And, finally, don’t talk too much, show it! No matter what we say, what we do always matters more.
Model responsibilities and your chances of teaching your kids responsibility will stay high.
Always running late, skipping chores, not sticking to your promises or your own rules will create a confusion in your kids. They will think it is acceptable to “cheat” with responsibilities. The process of teaching kids responsibility will last for years, obviously.
Start with small things and intuitively increase your expectations according to your child’s pace of development. It won’t be always easy but it isn’t impossible either.
Do you have any tricks you used to help your children become more responsible? We’ll gladly read about your experiences in the comments below!
Leave a Reply