Parents strive to raise responsible children, but this can certainly be harder than it sounds. How can you teach your little ones to be accountable for their own decisions? This is one great way to help them stand on their own two feet eventually and become responsible individuals. The fact is that it’s easier than you think, and you can even make it fun.
Below are some ways you can teach accountability in an interesting way:
Start with an Allowance
The best way to get kids in the habit of doing chores is by offering a little financial incentive. Attach their allowance to their chores. If they don’t do the work, they don’t get paid. It helps instill a work ethic benefitting your kids for the rest of their lives.
Enlist their Help
Kids are happy to spend their time playing while you handle the cooking, cleaning and other chores. However, they’re also more willing to help than you think. It will take a little longer to work as a team when your kids are first learning how to clean or cook,
but you’ll be rewarded later with independent kids who know how to take care of themselves. Have the kids take turns helping you with dinner, sorting the laundry, and handling other tasks around the house.
Clean Up Their Own Mistakes
Nobody’s perfect, and you can expect your kids are going to make mistakes. It’s vital you make sure they play an active role in correcting those errors. Suppose your child was sneaking food to their room and now your house is teeming with ants. In addition to calling pest control in Levittown PA, you should also have your child clean and remove the food from their room.
Find Something Positive to Say
It’s easy to get caught up in the mistakes and problems, but it’s so important to find something positive to say. Like adults, kids thrive on positive feedback. 
They’re more likely to keep trying when they know they’re at least moving in the right direction. Even if your son doesn’t load the dishes right, praise him for doing it without being reminded.
Be a Role Model
Part of personal responsibility is admitting when you’re wrong and correcting your mistakes. Model this behavior for your children. Show them responsible actions and talk to them about responsibility, and they’ll naturally follow in your footsteps.
It’s not as hard to teach personal responsibility as you might think. As you work with your children to teach them, you’ll also enjoy some quality time getting to know each other better. It’s important to start early, but it’s never too late to teach your child accountability.
The Author
Brionna Kennedy is native to the Pacific Northwest, growing up in Washington, then moving down to Oregon for college. She enjoys writing on fashion and business, but any subject will do. She also loves to learn about new topics. When she isn’t writing, she lives for the outdoors. Oregon has been the perfect setting to indulge her love of kayaking, rock climbing, and hiking.
I’ve read articles stating a child should receive allowance just for being a member of the household rather than to tie it to chores they would be required to do whether or not they were receiving an allowance. Kids would be paid more when they do larger, non-required chores like raking leaves or mowing the lawn. Rather than tie payment of their allowance to completing chores you could tie it to getting privileges like playing video games or spending time online. What are your thoughts? Please list them in the Comments below. Thank you.
