If it was down to us as parents, it’s no exaggeration to say that we would quite literally wrap our kids in cotton wool to keep them safe. Unfortunately, this is often less about protecting our children as it is about saving ourselves, and it’s no way to help them pave their own paths. Instead, our job is all about giving them the tools to cope with whatever life throws at them. From a young age, that often means realizing that they need to learn responsibility too.
Whether letting your kids walk to school alone or looking into kids phone plans so that they can have a bit more freedom, well-implemented, age-appropriate responsibilities can definitely help your kids to flourish. Here’s why.
A boost in self-esteem
When you fail to give your children any semblance of responsibility, you send one clear message – I don’t think you can handle this. This is one of the worst things we can do for our children’s early self-esteem, and it’s normally more about our struggles than theirs. This is no way to help your kids grow strong or independent, and it’s something you need to overcome with the implementation of responsibilities that give your kids a can-do attitude. If it helps, start small – give your children a bag to hold during your next outing, or let them push the trolley at the store. This is a great way to help them feel more capable and is a fantastic prelude to larger, more impactful, responsibilities later on.
A chance to advance
When we take over where responsibility is concerned, we also prevent our kids from accessing some crucial lessons. After all, it’s only by walking to school alone that they, personally, can come to learn the importance of things like stranger danger and road safety. Similar lessons lie in the vast majority of responsibilities and are key to ensuring that your child is far better armed to keep themselves safe, and sensible, throughout their life.
A lesson in consequences
Responsibility is also the best way to teach your child about consequences. After all, if you never let them look after something or take on a chore of their own, etc., they’ll never come to know what happens if they let their attention wane or fail to commit to doing something that they don’t want to do. This can leave them entirely unprepared for some harsh lessons down the line, as well as making them more likely to underperform/engage in negative behaviors without realizing the implications that can have. By instead letting them take on responsibility, you ensure that they see first-hand the results of their actions, or inactions.
Handing responsibility to our children can feel like yet another way that we have to let go but, as you can see here, it’s one of the best things we can do as parents. From the small things to the larger ones, you can bet that any level of responsibility will really help them to grow.