Thumbs up for 'Sponsible Kids!

A 4 year old's take on responsibility....14 Years Ago:

"Mommy, Baby pinched her fingers in the drawer. 

I opened the drawer when she was crying.  

 And she spilled water on the table so I got a towel and wiped it up.  

 That’s me being ‘sponsible, huh Mom?”

Write-downable from 1998

Teaching children the principle of responsibility requires searching for opportunities for responsible behavior to shine. Many times those occasions conveniently present themselves, and all that is required is to take advantage of it.

My five year old son is an active boy who wants to DO things that require action. It seems he would rather tackle a project that Mom gives him than to play with toys or watch a movie. Thus, I try to look for things that he can take ownership of and when finished, feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It's even better when the project is something that really needs to be done, and I don't have to do it!!

Our four year old daughter is the same way. Anything that involves food, she is there, wanting to assist. So many mothers struggle with cooking with their children and would rather "do it myself". Simple tasks to hand over to an eager-to-learn child teach the principle of responsibility, as well as the needed job. The more my children know how to do, the less I have to do because the work is divided and conquered.

Some examples this month:

Quesadilla Making
I taught these two to put together a quesadilla. No, they didn't cook them. It didn't save me time (this time) for them to make them. In fact, it probably took four times longer than it would have if I had just done it. But that's not the point. I LOVE seeing my children learn new things and have confidence in their knowledge and abilities.

Watermelon Serving
Give her a bowl of cut up watermelon and some plates and let her serve-it-up! A task is accomplished, hand-eye coordination is developed, and she is so excited about doing it. Perfect combination! Last night, I asked her to put away the left over pineapple. She got a container out of the cupboard, scooped it up and put it in the refrigerator. Awesome!

Shredding
A few weeks ago, my shredding box was completely full. It needed to be emptied into a bag to hand over to the shredding company. 

NOTE: This is the best way to handle your shredding needs. Don't buy a shredder. They get clogged and overheated and broken. Office shredders cannot handle our output, so once or twice per year we call up the shredding truck (coined by my kids) and it picks up our documents that need to be disposed of. One call, one bill. 

This is a task that almost any child can do so why not have them do it?! This guy fetched the garbage bag and went to town with the job.

Involve your children. It will pay off for you and for them. The little acts of responsibility when they're young will turn into big acts of responsibility when they're older! All those years of little things have given that four year old from long ago (see the write-downable at the top) the opportunity to work his way to college. Yes, I admit, I couldn't resist stalking my son while he was working. How rewarding it is to see the fulfillment of all those years of teaching and training! He really is being 'sponsible!

Today's Stick-to-it Tip: Simple and consistent opportunities create a responsible, Stick-to-it Kid! Search them out and embrace the moments. Thumbs up for 'sponsible kids!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!