Responsibility: how to develop in children and young people
If anything can make parents, teachers or adults with kids is to help them turn their weaknesses into strength. All human beings have weaknesses, the children have them, although many of them come equipped with great strengths and skills, they have in their personality traits that certainly help to strengthen.
The responsibility for children and young people
Responsibility is one of the cornerstones in the realization of all human beings, and is a skill that you can start broadcasting from an early age, from two or three years. If we have a little understanding of the importance of being responsible, then we laid a primary basis in the development, and we will cooperate in the future with a mature and conscious adult.
What is responsibility?
Responsibility means that one knows and is able to respond to what happens. If you do not know the answer, then one will become irresponsible. Irresponsibility is not bad; it just means you do not know how to respond to a given situation. If a child does not understand how to respond, then evade what to do. And if a child does not understand the effect of that, doesn’t have an awareness of how far he/she can take the behaviors and attitudes, then will be someone acting irresponsibly.
Teaching them to be responsible
Teach a child that does not require great effort, wailing or impositions, nor have to wait until it's too big, no, this quality can be powerful learned from an early age, from two or three years can be taught to small what it means to be responsible.
To teach a child responsibility, just show that each of the things you do has consequences. For example: if a small spill a glass of milk over breakfast, that is not "bad" or a reason to scold or punish him, even if he’s playing at the table. This only provokes the anger of the child and will feel guilty and behind. Punishing, scolding and yelling does not help to grow, and only revert to unsafe and unruly attitude, and increasingly need to scream and punish more, because over time, children tend to rebel against the constraints.
So the best thing here is to tell the small to calm down, firm voice (always trying to be friendly): "Well, now you have to clean the table and the floor." And the child should clean it. If you must wash the cloth, then you he has to take extra time to soak and wash, no matter how small he is. The important thing here is that the little note the work and the effort made, which will be taught to take responsibility, i.e. to respond to what has caused.
Someone once told me that her son liked to wash the tablecloth and even enjoyed the task, and that’s teaching him about this. Of course it is. Even if the child enjoys the consequences, he will be learning to be helpful.
If on the other hand, the glass broke, perhaps you should tell the child: "Well, I think you have to stay this time without buying candy at the store because the glass must be replaced". If the child cries or gets angry about this time, does not buy what he wants in the store, parents must be firm, but always friendly, i.e. no yelling or anger.
All these effects will give the kid a perspective on how far he can reach with attitudes, and certainly for the next time, take more care on the table.
Young and irresponsible adults
Many adults are irresponsible because when they were young, they were not shown in a friendly and objective consequence of what they did, and scolded them harshly for that. Young people are often scold much, instead of making them aware of what they do and receive their own consequences not because it is a punishment "but because it is an act of consciousness and signs up for information”.
A child or young person who breaks the boundaries and does not "care" is a young man who will rebel against authority and has failed to pass on responsibility.
If you want to make kids in school responsible, you should not make the study as an imposition nor a punishment. The study should be a discovery of new things, above all, a discovery of what they can do and skills.
If you want to make your kid responsible to get home at a certain time, should not be punished when he does. It is necessary to make agreements as "See You at noon" If he arrives later then do not get up and scold or yell. No. The most effective attitude is calm and steady. How about: "Good night, son. I'm sorry you decided not to go out next time. Tomorrow we can talk. "
When the young man asks for permission to leave again, explain that he broke the rule and the agreement reached at a time, and now cannot escape. The father should be firm and hold his word, or even be friendly and say, "But read a book or watch a good movie tonight."
Obviously if the child is not used to such limits, will be embarrassed and perhaps will rebel or be very angry. But if you insist on a firm attitude and make them aware of what they do, the young gradually become more responsible and will be more aware. We will be forming and fostering an aware and mature character, which will help them to be happier and have more fulfillments in their life.