How To Raise Responsible Children (Sooner Rather Than Later)
Want to know how to raise responsible kids? Here’s all our secret tips for how to raise responsible children with ease.
Let’s chat about how to raise responsible children.
If you’re a fellow parent, I’m going to guess that one of your goals is to raise responsible children who are also independent, compassionate and resilient children. Am I right?
I’m also guessing that being a parent gets hectic at times (I know this from personal experience).
Some days are long, other days are crazy, and then there are the long and crazy days.
During these more chaotic times, it can be quite challenging to keep your focus on what matters the most. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t raise kids who – even in the midst of chaos – still eventually become adults who show integrity and responsibility.
Parenting is the most challenging job you’ll ever have.
But the rewards are incredible when you see that you’ve raised responsible children.
I encourage you to embark on your own journey to collect as much knowledge about parenting as you can.
It’s all about finding tips that WORK for you!
If you want to raise responsible kids too, here are all our secret tips and tricks on how to raise responsible children (sooner rather than later!).
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
1 – Treat your little ones with the respect and care they so richly deserve.
No matter how testing your children can be, remind yourself they are simple works in progress and will definitely make many missteps along the way.
They too – just like you – are just trying to figure out this thing we call, “life.”
Your kids are like mini-adults – simply learning their way through this world, making mistakes, hopefully growing from those failures, constantly searching for answers to their questions and just doing the best they can with the resources and tools they currently have.
If you can consistently show tact, care and respect toward your children, you’ll see that doing so is like giving sunshine, water, and fertilizer to your garden.
These things will help your children grow tall and stand proud.
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
2 – Reinforce the positive
Offer praise and positive reinforcement to your children whenever they perform a task, skill, or job well.
We really do thrive from positive praise!
It is one of the basic human needs – we all desire to be noticed and recognized for doing something good.
Children especially need to hear compliments and praise.
Making statements like, “great job” or “wow, that was wonderful” when it is truthful and applicable.
Makes sure to look your child in the eye so that they know you are sincere and so that they know you will help him learn the importance of performing a job well. In turn, your child will become responsible.
Strive to be consistent in your efforts to reinforce your child’s desirable behaviors.
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
3 – Let them learn natural consequences.
It is so important for your kids to learn natural consequences in life because that’s how it works in the outside world. If you touch fire, you will get burnt.
If you don’t do your homework, you suffer the consequences of not doing it.
If you don’t study for a test, your grades will reflect the lack of effort.
Allow your kids to experience the natural consequences of their behavioral choices (as long as those outcomes aren’t harmful.)
Rather than debating with a child, sometimes the parent has the luxury of sitting back and allowing a natural result to occur.
- Automatic consequences teach powerful lessons about the importance of follow-through and taking responsibility for one’s own behavior.
- For example, if your child doesn’t want to eat breakfast, they’ll experience the natural consequences of becoming hungry in an hour or two and will have to wait for lunch to eat.
- As a result, future episodes of skipping breakfast will most likely be reduced and a sense of taking responsibility for eating habits will be gained.
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
4 – When teaching a child a new behavior, give clear, simple instructions.
Make your expectations clear. Do you even know what your expectations are?
If not, you need to define them.
If yes, you need to communicate them to your child.
- You also need to be willing to not just talk the talk but walk the walk.
- Demonstrate what you’ve asked the child to do so they can see how the behavior is properly done.
- Next, allow your child to try the behavior. They are human so they may make some mistakes as they move through the learning curve and that is totally okay.
- Let them know that it’s okay to fail and if they fall down eight times, they need to just get back up each time.
- Praise all efforts, no matter how small.
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
5 – Avoid criticism or expecting perfection. Setting your standards overly high can “encourage” a child to be resistant to your requests in the future.
- Smile and be positive in your approach.
- Remind yourself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Remind your kids too that it does take time to have new positive habits ingrained in their life.
- Stay close by when young children are learning and practicing new behaviors to offer guidance and build responsibility in your child.
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
6 – Notice when your children perform tasks without your asking.
Give recognition, or even a reward, for these times.
- Allow your child to take ownership of his or her own behavior.
- Send the message that, “Now that you’ve gotten your job done, it’s time to have some fun!” Saying, “You did such a good job sweeping the kitchen, I think we should go get some ice cream,” conveys that when you’re responsible, good things follow.
HOW TO RAISE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN
7 – Avoid getting your children “off the hook” if they’ve misbehaved at school.
You may feel tempted to take the fall to protect your kids, but doing so prevents them from learning the consequences of their actions. Please don’t do that – it’s a lose-lose situation.
- If this happens to your child, do your best to refrain from showing anger and disappointment. Instead, stay calm and provide encouraging words about their completing whatever consequence the school has issued as a punishment.
- Mention that you still are confident that your kids will get through the situation and go on to have a great school year.
Experiencing the joys of parenting contributes to an incredibly rich life.
Raising responsible children requires effort and consistency.
Infuse these suggestions into your master parenting plan, and you’ll be well on your way toward raising your children to be responsible, caring adults. I promise you, it will be worth the effort!
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I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.