Responsibility can make us feel proud – or something we can dread.

You can help your child feel powerful when they are willing to take on the responsibility of caring for a new pet by feeding it, combing it or giving it baths.

A feeling of angst comes with being told, as a child, that you are responsible for someone or something that is not within your power, such as taking care of a younger sibling at a pool or when they are playing near a roadway.

Help your child discover the joy of responsibility. They will feel good about themselves when they take on responsibility willingly. Taking responsibility is a great feeling when it is a choice.

Taking on responsibility happens because something has motivated them. Help your child understand that being responsible means having choices to do some pretty amazing things which bring them joy, such as care for a new pet.

Alternatively, your child can be deterred by the feeling of responsibility because it was something that was given to them through no choice of their own. This may cause grief and resentment.

How you teach your child about responsibility has an impact. What impact do you want for your child?

Here are 3 ways you can positively teach responsibility…

1. Allow them to make their own decisions

Responsibility is being accountable for decisions made, along with the consequences. Allow your child to talk to you about their thoughts and let them make their own decisions. Talk to them about potential outcomes which they may not have considered yet.

Let your child know that outcomes aren’t always known and thought of and that sometimes when decisions are made it’s hard to predict outcomes.

Allow your child to make their own informed decision.

2. Discuss Consequences

For example, what the ground rules are and the consequences if ground rules are not adhered to should be decided before an action takes place. For instance, if your child arrives home later than agreed to; if they forgot to feed the dog; if dirty clothes were left lying on the floor instead of being put into the washing basket.

You may be surprised by the ideas children will think of concerning consequences. You may even find they will come up with something harsher than you may have.

The only rule is that the consequences need to relate to the action – for example, a child can be responsible for putting their toys away. They could lose the privilege of playing with a toy for a specific period if the toy is not put back in place by a time previously agreed to by both parties. 

3. Helping around the home

The whole family benefit from living in a home. Let your child know that we are all responsible for caring for our home and everything within it.

Teach your child age-appropriate lessons about what they are responsible for as a family member within the home.

For example, removing their shoes before they enter the house, setting and clearing the table at meal times, stacking the dishwasher or doing the dishes and drying up, wiping down kitchen benches when they have made some food, and putting things back in the pantry. All these little things add up, and someone has to do them.

Teach your child about responsibility from an early age and help them feel good about how they contribute to the family. Everyone is unique, and everyone contributes to the family in their way.

Teach your child about responsibility, be mindful of how you do it, and you will help your child become a kind, caring, responsible member, of the community.

If you would like to teach your child more values, please feel free to join my private FB group, ‘Raising Kids With Integrity’, (just hit the ‘Join The Tribe’ button above) where I share a character trait each week that I encourage you to share with your child so that it helps them gain a better awareness of their thoughts, feelings and goals.