Abigail Van Buren, the original writer of Dear Abbey, once said, “If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.” Parenting can be a rough job but it can also be extremely rewarding. But how do you go from those times that make you want to throw in the towel to those moments when you’re beaming with pride? Teaching your kids to be responsible and to help around the house is a great way to reap the rewards of parenthood while helping your children improve as individuals. Take a look at these four tips that you could try to help your kids be responsible children and, eventually, responsible adults.
1. Teach the value of money. Giving an allowance is a trick that parents have used for years, sometimes successfully and sometimes not so much, to teach the value of money. Some parents assign a dollar amount to household chores, daily tasks, and other things that need to be done and then enlist their children for help. For example, picking up toys after playing with them earns your child $1.00. Vacuuming the living room may be worth $2.00. You decide the amount that works for you and then get your kids on board. Not only will this be a great way to teach them how to work for the money they earn, but it’s also a great time to teach them to save money for something they really want to buy.
2. Make them pay you. Sure, it may sound harsh, but this is an excellent way to teach responsibility with possessions and the money they may earn from an allowance. For example, if you have a young daughter who likes to change her clothes constantly, creating a lot of extra laundry for you, ask her to pay you a dollar for every time she changes her clothes during the day. Then, on laundry day, give your daughter the opportunity to earn her money back by helping you with the laundry. This way, she will learn how much work it takes to do the laundry and will understand that she needs to be a little more careful.
3. Use electronics as a reward. It can often be difficult to get your child away from the TV to help with chores. Use the things your children like to do, whether it’s watching a favorite TV show or playing a video game, as a reward for helping. If your child needs to clean his bedroom, tell him he can watch 30 minutes of TV after he has picked up his toys and made his bed. The chore will get done, making both you and your child happy.
4. Create a chore chart. Sometimes, all a child needs to be motivated to help around the house is a visual reminder. Make a list of all the weekly chores that need to be done around the house and then assign each family member specific tasks. If the kitchen floor needs to be mopped, you could assign the job to your teenager. If the dishes need to be done after dinner, assign this task to your young son. When the job is complete, put a sticker on the chore chart. At the end of the week, if the chart is full of stickers, take the family out for a reward, such as ice cream or bowling. Seeing the chart fill up each week will help everyone see how much they accomplish each week.
How will you teach your children to be more responsible?
This post was written by Derek Dasher from TopAlarmSystem.com. Learn how to keep your home and family safe with an ADT security system.
Great advice on teaching kids responsibility. We definitely have daily chores and incentives. I think it’s a must (especially with a large family… no way is mom letting it fall all on her!)