Here are 5 sure-fire ways to teach your child to be more responsible, so he grows up into a mature, sensible and reliable adult. One of the most important things you can teach your child is responsibility. Being responsible is one of the vital qualities which your child should imbibe to be successful in life. Here are five things which you can do to ensure that you are raising a responsible child.
Involve Child in Household Chores
Ensure that your child is given certain chores to perform. It is easier to get children to help out at home if they have a say in the chores that are delegated to them so let them have a choice at every step. For example, if you want your child to either mow the lawn or paint the fence, let them decide what they would like to do.
It is very possible that you have a maid at home and don't really need help around the house, but even so, make sure your child performs certain tasks like cleaning up after himself. After playing with his toys, let him put them back into the shelf or cupboard himself. Similarly, when his clothes come back after a wash, he should be encouraged to place his clothes back into the cupboard, or he may never get into the habit.
When 32-year-old Vivek went to visit relatives, they were appalled when they saw the bedroom they had given him. His clothes were strewn all over the bed, and his suitcase was lying open, with everything in a mess. Yes, Vivek was a wealthy man, and he had many servants back home who would rush to pick up his clothes the minute he got out of them, but when such service is not available he should be able to clean up by himself. Needless to say, he left a very bad impression with his relatives.
Provide Pocket Money
If you don't give your school-going child
pocket money, it is time you start. The amount you give him need not be a lot - even a few rupees every week or every month will let him buy a few treats for himself. If he wants to buy something a little more expensive, like a bicycle, encourage him to save up for it. This will help him be more responsible in money matters. Once you give a child pocket money, don't randomly hand out more money whenever he needs it. Make sure the amount you give him is reasonable so you don't feel like you need to give him any more, and keep increasing the sum as he grows older. When your child is in high school, he will need more money to fund his lunches, dinners and movies - so take this into consideration when fixing an amount.
Encourage Child to Help Sibling
If you child has a sibling, you must encourage him or her to help his or her
sibling with
homework or any other school work. Also encourage your children to do all the chores together and teach them to wait for each other when they have to go somewhere or do something. In this way your children will learn to care for each other and it will also help to strengthen the bonding between them.
Teach to Put Back Things in Their Places
When your child is done with
studies or playing remind him or her to put his or her toys, books or other things which he or she was using back to their respective places. Always remind your child and he or she will get into a habit of to putting things back in their places on his or her own. In this way your child will also learn to take care of his or her toys, books and other things that he or she owns.
Get a Pet
If your child wants a
pet, consider getting it for him. Taking care of a pet will definitely inculcate a sense of responsibility in your child. Dogs tend to be favoured pets, but if you want something smaller, you could consider getting fish. (Keeping birds caged may not be such a good idea). If you keep a pet, give your child certain responsibilities with regard to the pet. Your child should have the responsibility of taking the dog out for a walk a few times a day or of feeding it. If your child has a small dog that follows him around everywhere, making your child responsible for the dog would be easier than if you had a large, family dog, so take this factor into consideration when going in for a pet. Also, let your child have a say in what pet you want to buy.
You should make sure that you always encourage your child to practice things which can help him or her to be a responsible child. Being responsible is one of the important traits of a successful individual. At the same time being responsible will also be helpful for the child in many other ways in the long run. Therefore, make sure that you be consistent while cultivating a sense of responsibility in your child.
How to inculcate a sense of responsibility in a child? How does being responsible help children? Which practices can help children to be responsible? Discuss here.