Responsibility is one of the most essential traits intertwined with personal integrity, trustworthiness, and many others.
Learning about responsibility is a big subject for parents and children; there are multiple occasions in our daily lives where this trait is being demonstrated and judged.
Teaching our children to be responsible might be easier if we implement some of these recommendations.
- Treat them with respect and care. Demonstrate consistent care and concern for your children. Support them to work on themselves to learn and progress over time, take on new tasks, and complete them well.
- Emphasis on positive Praise and compliment your children whenever they complete a task, acquire a new skill, or do something well. This helps to elevate their mood and self-motivated for being acknowledged positively. They will cultivate the confdence and interest to do better in their next attempt and gradually internalize this as a need to do well. Do note to do this consistently, as this can reinforce their positive behaviors.
- Guide them about consequences. Children must know that there will be consequences for their choices or behavior. Letting them face the natural consequences of their actions can impart to them the cause and efect. If they misbehave, the natural progression is that there will be a form of punishment.
- Make learning simple and encouraging When your child learns a new behaviour, always set clear expectations, and simplify it with an example or demonstration. Give them time to practice and try out the behaviour and praise them if they do it well. Refrain from criticizing them or setting high expectations; this may backfre as they become resistant to future requests or feel demotivated.
- Be patient. We must remind ourselves that good things take time. Parents must stay close to their children when learning and picking up new behaviours. Our role is to guide our children and focus on their progress rather than learning speed.
- Educate them on ownership. The sense of ownership can be applied and explained in many of their daily lives. Our children need to recognize they are the captain of their behaviour. Pay attention whenever they voluntarily perform tasks without your asking, do things independently, or exceed expectations. Give compliments or small rewards so they know their self-initiated actions are working well.
- Avoid shielding them from misbehaving. Parents must not protect their children if they get a complaint in school; let them experience the consequences.
Learning about responsibility is a continuous and extended process; our children need to know that it will take them consistent eforts and consistency to be better. As parents, we can be with them to accompany their journey to master their responsibilities and skills.
