Begin with the end in mind.
The goal of child-rearing is to send a confident, responsible, independent person out into the world. Start from an early age to foster responsibility in your children. As they enter the teen years, children grow in their ability to care for their own possessions, finances and commitments. As their abilities grow, so should their responsibilities. It’s often easier to do a chore yourself than to get your teenager to do it on a regular basis. But that is short-term thinking. In the long-term your child will live away from you. She will need to know how to take care of herself and the place she calls home. She must learn to not only clean up after herself, but also do chores that benefit all of the people who live in the home. She must learn to do these things automatically and independently in order to prepare for the day when she is on her own.
Many parents skip this part of the parenting process, rationalizing that with school and activities the teen doesn’t have time to take care of household responsibilities. If you have those feelings, ask yourself if that excuse would work for you. You work, you have outside activities, and somehow you do what needs to be done at home as well. That’s part of being a grown-up. Allow you child to learn this lesson early, and you will make the transition to adulthood less difficult. This is where good communications is key.
Filed under: coaching adolescents, communications, emotional intelligence, leadership, parents as coach | Tagged: coaching skills for parents, coaching teenagers, communications, emotional intelligence for teenagers, parenting, raising future leaders, responsibility, teenagers
