Teaching Your Kids About Responsibility is one of the most important lessons that you teach them that will greatly impact both their present and future lives! A few ways that we teach our kids about responsibility is by giving them chores, creating consistent homework & personal hygiene routine and also being mindful of their words & actions.
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Implementing Chores
Do you remember having to do chores as a kid? I do! I come from a fairly large family. Because I was the oldest of four kids and both of my parents worked, I was the official “manager” of my house. I was left to delegate chores, cook dinner at times and also to enforce the rules of our home.
Which leaves me kind of puzzled at my need to sometimes (oftentimes) try to do everything myself when it comes to my own children. In my mind I rationalize it this way. If I do it myself, it will #1 get done faster, and #2 it will get done the way that I want (the right way, haha).
Have any of you ever felt this way?
The problem with this thinking is a 3 fold problem.
First, there are many many things that need to happen in a household to keep things running smoothly! There’s dishes, laundry, floors, dusting, trash duties, keeping windows and mirrors clean to name a few. Second, doing all these things yourself will not teach you kids responsibility. Lastly, doing everything yourself will leave you exhausted!
The first step is to let go!
Go into this process knowing that there will be hiccups. There will be kids that don’t want to do these chores, and moms that are questioning if this is the right decision. Just know that at the end of this, you will be teaching your children very valuable life lessons. You will be teaching them not only how to be responsible, but also how to take care of themselves now and in the future.
Helpful Tips:
The best way to have success in the chore department is to make chores age appropriate. There are certain chores that everyone is responsible for such as:
- Keeping Their Bedrooms Clean
- Beds Made
- Picking Up After Themselves (example: dirty clothes go in the hamper after showers)
- Cleaning Up After Themselves (example: putting dirty dishes, utensils in the sink after dinner)
For my older son who is 17:
- Mowing the Lawn
- Weed Whacking
- Pressure Washing
- Driving Errands
- Unloading & Loading the Dishwasher
- Cleaning the Bathrooms
For my 10 year old:
- Unloading & Loading the Dishwasher
- Cleaning the Bathrooms
- Taking Out the Trash & Putting Clean Bags in All the Trashcans
- Vacuuming the Floors
- Putting All Clean Folded Laundry in Everyone’s Rooms
For my 4 and 2 year old:
- Picking Up Toys & Putting Them Where They Belong
- Gather Dirty Clothes From All Rooms
- Put Dirty Clothes in The Dirty Clothes Hamper
- Put Clean Clothes in Their Dresser Drawers
- Clean the Sliding Glass Door (now this is a chore that I will also have my older kids follow up on. Because let’s face it, toddlers doing this is not super effective, but they LOVE using the squeegee! Haha!)
You can maximize your efficiency by having everyone work together to complete all of the chores assigned. If everyone carries a portion of the burden, things get done so much faster! It also gets your family in the mindset of working together as a team. You will be teaching your kids that together we can all accomplish more! I always tell my kids team work makes the dream work!
Creating Consistent Homework & Personal Hygiene Routines
How will teaching your kids about homework and personal hygiene help them to be more responsible? Think about it, these 2 things have a huge impact on your children’s lives. That means that they also have a huge opportunity to teach your kids a valuable lesson. Let’s face it, neither one of these are very glamorous and can be a huge sore spot for kids. No one really wants to do homework, or brush their teeth. But the fact remains that both of these need to be done regularly.
If your kids don’t do their homework, they will get bad grades in school. Not brushing, flossing or showering regularly will lead to cavities, poor health and just being generally stinky! Educating your kids on the cause and effect of these things will show them how their actions can either impact their lives for better or worse.
Homework
Set up a consistent time and place for kids to do their homework. This is important because it will get them in the habit of doing this regularly. The time is not as important as being consistent about the time to get it done. A lot of schools and teachers also have apps and programs setup online that you can track your student’s progress. I would highly suggest being involved with one of these. The better communication that you establish with your child’s teacher the better because you will be able to identify any opportunities to help your child succeed! Another method that is helpful for me and my kids is writing down all assignments and important dates down on a calendar or planner (or both). Make sure to get your kids involved with this step and teach them how to manage a planner and their time.
- Setup consistent time & place for kids to do homework
- Use teacher & school endorsed apps or programs to monitor performance and behavior
- Use a planner and or calendar to track assignments & due dates
Personal Hygiene
Do you know what costs nothing to give away, but means so much to the person you are giving it to? A Smile! Think about it.. when you smile at someone, what is their natural reaction? It is to smile back! Talk about putting some good out into the world! However, if your breath is kickin’ or you have something between your teeth, you don’t really feel much like smiling. Just like with any other values you teach your kids starting from a young age, teaching them how to take care of their bodies is so important!
Personal hygiene includes things like-
- Brushing your teeth
- Flossing
- Using mouth wash
- Taking showers/baths
- Brushing/Combing your hair
- Keeping Fingernails/Toenails trimmed
Just like with a homework routine, getting your kids on a consistent schedule with their personal hygiene habits works the best. Taking care of their mouth & teeth should happen after every meal. We also have consistent bath time for our kids. Right before bed works out great for us. What times work best for your family?
Teaching Your Kids To Be Mindful of Their Words & Actions
This lesson could be one of the greatest that you teach your kids! Your words are very powerful. They can either build people up or tear them down! And your words are only words if you don’t act on them. For example, you can hurt someone and tell them that you are sorry, but if you keep doing the same thing over and over again to that person, your actions are showing that you are not actually sorry. Ever hear the saying ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’? You must both speak with kindness and thoughtfulness while also showing with your actions kindness and thoughtfulness. What choice are your kids going to make?
I always tell my kids this-
“You cannot control other people’s words or actions. The only thing that you have control over are your own actions and words.”
No matter what you do, you must realize that it was YOUR choice! If you are nasty to your brother or sister, it is your choice. Just like it is your choice to stop and help the little old lady that knocked over a bunch of shoes in the Target aisle. (This really happened..talk about proud momma moment when your kids don’t even hesitate to run over and help!)
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) New International Version
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
James 1:22 (NIV) New International Version
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
One of the many things that I have learned as a mother of 21+ years is that there are so many opportunities to teach your kids. Speak to them, not at them. Show them the kindness, love and respect that you want them to display to others. Your kids will learn the things that you teach them. You must always be mindful of what it is that you are teaching.
Thank you for reading my blog. I hope that it can bless you and help you! Leave me a comment and let me know what some of your techniques are for teaching your kids about responsibility. I would love to hear them!
Here are some other posts you may like. Check them out and let me know what you think.
Creating a Family Budget & Getting Your Finances Under Control
Mom Hacks For The New And Not So New Momma
How To Start Your Own Blog in 2019
DIY How To Make a Floor Length Mirror Using a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
Bible Scriptures on Humbleness & Humility
Bible Scriptures About Worry & Anxiety
The Devil Is a Liar! Battling Spiritual Warfare With the Word of God
If you want to learn how to create a blog like this, check out Bluehost and read my post where I walk you through step by step on How To Start a Blog.
Here are some awesome parenting books that I actually have on my nightstand and refer to frequently!
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk is one of the best parenting books out there! It really breaks things down into very digestible bites and gives you great ways to implement what you learn! This book was a game-changer in helping me figure my kids out!
How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7. This book is similar to the original, but tailors things to little ones. Was a great addition to the original!
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is very well written and gives you a terrific game plan for helping your teen build a strong foundation for success!
Thanks so much for visiting my site!
Until Next Time, Let’s Be Perfectly Imperfect Together!
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Brenda- your approach to life seems so uncomplicated but we tend to overthink things! Thank you for bringing real life into perspective! Love the inspiration!
Thank you so much Briana! I try to keep things as simple as possible so I can implement it easier. Hope you have a blessed day!