Teaching your children with love and grace

Responsibility is something that is taught and not necessarily inherent. A child learns the meaning of responsibility on a daily basis, but it is up to us as parents and home school parents to teach the meaning and importance of responsibility.

There are many ways to teach responsibility and one natural way is to learn by example. Our children watch our every moves and we must be aware of this occurrence. It is not correct to tell a child to ‘do as I say, and not as I do’, for that will just completely confuse the child.

Other ways to instill responsibility are:

• Chores – assigning specific chores will teach even the youngest child how to be responsible. The chores can be assigned according to age and stressed that they must be accomplished on a daily basis. These should consist of helping around the house such as taking out trash, sorting laundry, dusting furniture, etc.

• Keeping their rooms tidy is another form of responsibility. This should not be considered a chore. Keeping their rooms tidy and picked up, should be done on a daily basis and not be considered part of their daily chores.

• If your child is given an allowance, another way to instill responsibility is to have them put a percentage of money earned in a savings account. This will teach them the importance of saving money which will continue to adult hood and perhaps avoid credit problems in the future.

• Caring for a pet – nothing instills more responsibility than when they are required to care for another live being. The animal can be as small as a fish or hamster or as large as a dog or cat. Either way, the fact that they must care for this pet by feeding, cleaning and walking or playing with it will help teach them responsibility.

• Plant a garden or herb box – teaching your children to care for plants as well as growing their own herbs or vegetables will also instill responsibility. They will realize the care involved and not take for granted the work it entails. It will also increase their self esteem to know that they were able to accomplish something on their own.

• Teaching a sibling or friend – by having your child help teach a sibling or perhaps help by tutoring a friend will also teach them the meaning of responsibility. Not only will they be reaffirming what they have learned by teaching but will also get a sense of worth by helping someone else and watching them succeed because of their aid.

• Babysitting – when your child is old enough another great way to learn responsibility is to babysit another child. It can start with a sibling for an hour or two and increase to longer periods of time and then onto other children. They must be aware of caring for a child that will depend on them as well as other tasks such as feeding, bathing and entertaining the child.

Teaching responsibility is very important. It will not only enhance your child’s ability to do things on their own, creating a sense of independence, but it will increase their self esteem as well. The feeling of worth is unexplainable yet so important. The look on your child’s face when they have accomplished something on their own because of your guidance is one that is irreplaceable.

Start today teaching the different ways to learn responsibility. I am sure there are many more ways than those I described above, but the important part is to be aware of them and make it all a learning experience they will never forget.

Remember to keep learning fun.

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