Teaching kids accountability

by Rexanne Mancini

Teaching our kids to be responsible is a gift that will help them throughout their lives.

We have many responsibilities to our children. Feeding, clothing and sheltering them are the basics; however, there are other important responsibilities that come with parenting. Teaching our children to behave, how to relate to others, to be considerate and how to make friends are but a few more of the challenging aspects of being a parent.

What about teaching our kids to be responsible and accountable for their actions and their words? These are equally important responsibilities we have to teach our kids.

Teaching children to be accountable for what they do, say and feel is a gift that will help them throughout their lives. The “rules” also involve teaching children compassion and tolerance for others. When a child feels secure because they know and understand the “rules,” they are more willing and able to accept accountability for themselves. Teaching our kids what is right and wrong is a big step in teaching them responsibility. Once they know the “rules,” they are more able to make solid decisions and understand how they fit into society and how to react or respond to both joy and challenges. If a child knows that throwing sand in another child’s face is wrong, that it hurts and they wouldn’t want anyone to throw sand in their face, they begin to learn compassion for their peers and other human beings. If your son knows that taking something that does not belong to him is wrong and how losing a treasured toy would feel, he will be less inclined to wander off with Jeremy’s favorite action figure. If your daughter absconds with Ashley’s new Barbie doll she should know without question that it is wrong and that if Ashley decided to take her new Bratz doll, she would be equally traumatized and broken hearted.