Raising Responsible Kids...and Remembering It

Responsibility is not something a child learns overnight. A child develops responsibility through seeing responsibility modeled by others and by learning through consequences of right or wrong activities, actions and decisions. Parents can raise responsible kids by not only modeling responsibility, but by providing activities for their children to practice being responsible. Younger children learn responsibility mostly from role models. When parents pick up after themselves or make their bed, a child will want to do the same things, because they want to be like their parents. Younger children should be included in activities their parents do even if they can not fully do the activities. When cooking, if there is something that they can stir, let them stir. When doing laundry, let them put clothes away or put them on hangers. Older children can be given the responsibility of a certain chore or a chore list. Financial rewards can be based on the chores being completed or the chores can be rewarded with privileges such as watching TV or playing a video game. If chores are not completed, their privileges would be lost. Older children will learn more by consequences. Financial responsibility should be learned by children as early as possible. If an allowance is given, a child should learn to live within his or her means. Learning how horrible it is to be in debt can be taught through borrowing from a parent. Not being able to get a toy they want because they will not have an allowance coming for four or five weeks, because of something they bought will definitely help them to realize the impact of debt. Responsible kids are well accepted in any situation. When responsibility carries over into a child's adulthood, he or she is sure to have a successful future. Making Lasting MemoriesnnWhile trying to raise well-adjusted, responsible kids, parents often fail to think about the future and how they would like to remember their experiences with their young children. Looking through childhood photos can bring back a flood of memories. Memories of family vacations, a birthday party or simply photos of playing in the backyard can spark so many memories. Making lasting memories for your children is just as important. Capturing every moment may not be an option, but being a shutterbug to your kids will definitely help bring a recollection of memories in the years to come. Taking photos or even videos of your children will not only keep memories alive, but will remind your children how much you love them by making a fuss over them. With today’s technology, pictures and videos can be accessible instantaneously through digital software. However, the classic film and camera can still provide a little higher quality. Keeping your photos together can be a challenge, but there are a few ways some people have found to maintain their collection. Scrapbooking can be a hobby for some and a time consuming project for others. There are alternative options to scrapbooks, which include creating digital files and having them printed in a book format, or creating online photo albums. Simple photo albums or stored digital files can be a very simple way of keeping your photo collection together. In addition to having lasting memories, photos can also be great gift ideas. Personalizing gifts for family members will be kept around for a long time. Novelty items such as coffee cups or family t-shirts are common. Calendars with a new picture every month are another great gift idea. Which ever way you decide to maintain your memories, it should be what works best for your family. But don’t forget to let your children know that the time you spend with them is memorable in photos or not.