Jul 19

Parenting Corner – Teaching self responsibility (re-post)

Q. I have three kids, ages 6, 9 and 12; how can I empower each of them to be self responsible?

A. Great question!  Empowerment begins at home by creating opportunities for your kids to have greater responsibility and to set standards for themselves.  Household chores are an ideal way to reinforce self-responsibility.  For example, the standard for my home is everything in its place.  My kids know they are responsible to pick up their own stuff.  If I ask them more than once to remove an item from a common area (kitchen, living room, etc.) and they don’t, I will pick it up and there is a price for them to get it back.  They can either wait two weeks to get the item or they get it immediately by paying me $10.

The conversation is a vital part of the consequence – each time I remind them that they are personally responsible for their stuff and for the choices they make about their stuff.  With that being said, they get to set the standard of cleanliness for their room as long as it is straightened up at least once every two weeks.  When we have friends visiting we do what I call “all hands on deck.”  Everyone is required to help clean the house – one cleans the bathroom and dusts, while one sweeps the floor and vacuums the rugs.  Their rooms don’t have to be clean when guests come over, however I use this as an opportunity to discuss their standards.  Sometimes they pick up their rooms and sometimes they don’t – the conversation is more important than the action. The goal is to reinforce their choices about their standards.

Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.