Responsibility refers to the act of being accountable for one’s actions.Social responsibility refers to and obligation towards the society at large.Parents have the onus of raising not only responsible, but also socially responsible children.
How to teach responsible behavior?
Children learn responsibility with every act that they do – doing their homework, keeping their clothes, taking care of the little ones, etc., At a higher level, saying no to bad habits, or helping get grocery, paying bills and the like. Every little act / activity that improves them makes them responsible.
Humble beginnings:Parents can give children small chores, and help them learn the art of meeting trivial responsibilities. Children can be taught responsibility starting from self-care. From small beginnings – regular practices like brushing, bathing, dressing up, doing the hair, aligning their books and toys, setting up their school bags, learning to tie the tie – from easy-to-do errands like filling of water bottles, taking care of pets, to more responsible activities like going to a shop, the milk booth etc., and later taking up banking activities, paying bills etc., also taking care of siblings, grandparents – planning a family outing, visits to orphanages / old age homes, all these can result in inculcating healthy responsible behavior.
Carving out Career Paths: As they reach teenage, encourage them to understand their own areas of interest choose their field of academics, search for various options available in the educational realm, on their own. They can sit with their peers and engage in such activities, and also take parental guidance and advice. With most of the information available in the net, children can optimally utilize search engines and reach decisions and pave their own career path. Thus, they will learn being accountable for their own lives.
Positive reinforcement goes a long way: Do not forget to compliment the child for every good deed, however little it may seem. This would induce the child to willingly take up responsibility and execute tasks, not as a burden, but as a pleasure.
Learn by Erring:It might take some amount of patience, persistence and perseverance — allow kids to make mistakes, and learn from their mistakes, impart healthy eating and drinking habits, talk to them till you are certain they are good enough to be on their own.
Self-Worth: Sow the seeds of self-esteem in the child. Help them understand their worth – to themselves, the family, the society and the world at large.
See for yourself how they turn out to be capable, efficient and competent adults, leading to building a strong self-imageof themselves.
Handling Key Responsible Areas (KRAs):As a child grows up, he/she needs to manage multiple responsibilities – school, play, homework, tests, chores, sports, tuitions, handling peer pressure etc. This is the stage when they need to be imparted knowledge regarding prioritization, and organization. Encourage them to prepare a “to do” list and ear mark all the important jobs. Once done, they can tick mark the chores done and also make a note of the pending tasks. This goes a long way in building up organizational abilities in the kids, and they will turn out not only to be better organizers, but also better planners and implementers. This will help them become multi-taskers.
Making Diary Entries: Encourage kids to make diary entries on a daily basis! This helps them jot down the good and the bad, and also reflect on the past and learn.
Be Liberal:Like any of us, children too have mood swings. There are times, when, even, we as adults procrastinate and leave the daily errands for a later time or date. Do not be too strict with the kids. Once in a while, learn to let go…allow them the freedom to work when they really feel like. After all, they are no robots. Do not forget the kid in them.
Do not aim for perfection: Kids learn through mistakes. In case a child fails at displaying responsible behavior, do not reprimand, rather, understand they whys? There could be reasons.
Link rewards to responsibilities. Use the carrot approach, and avoid the stick approach. If the child shoulders a responsibility, in any manner-good, bad or ugly, whatever (Understand it is the onus that matters initially), ensure he/she is well-rewarded. E.g.: If you complete the H.W, you can watch TV.
Pocket money is also a very good strategy in imparting not only financial management but also teaching responsible behavior. Gift them the freedom to spend and spend responsibly.
Weighing Pros and Cons:Children need to learn the art of carving out their own niche in areas that interest them. Give them the freedom to weigh pros and cons of their decisions. e.g.: It’s a rainy day, and the child wants to go out and play. Ask him/her to analyze the outcome.
Social Responsibility:Help childrendevelop into good human beings. Cultivate in them the qualities of empathy, compassion, and social awareness. This can be done by fostering them with love and care. Show them random acts of kindness for the cause of social good.
Slowly, by example, teach kids social responsibility – e.g.: planting a plant every birthday, nurture it, see it grow. Kids learn by imitations. Teach them kindness by being kind and helpful. Help kids build a great society. They are our future, they are the future world!
“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.”
.Ann Landers