Search Results for: blog teaching kids the responsibilities that come with freedom

Giving Kids the Freedom They Can Handle

I once received advice from a teacher of one of my children—I was volunteering in the classroom and we were chatting one day about some of her teaching philosophies and methods. She shared with me a tiny morsel of advice that I not only took to heart, but have also applied as a guiding philosophy in my parenting. She said that she thought we should give our children as much freedom as they could handle. And, with Independence Day coming up, I thought it might be appropriate to chat a bit about freedom here in the Parents blog. The tough … Continue reading →

Helping Our Kids Become Self Aware

Our goal as parents, of course, is to raise our children to be caring, functioning, independent adults. Since none of us is perfect, part of growing into a competent, well-adjusted adult is learning who we are and what our gifts and challenges are. This self awareness is what guides us in making improvements to ourselves and being able to maintain rich, varied relationships. As parents, one of our challenges is to help our children become self aware and able to deal with their gifts and challenges on their own. Practice makes perfect and helping our children learn ways to self-sooth … Continue reading →

Teaching Kids the Responsibilities That Come With Freedom

Growing children have a natural tendency to believe that they are the center of the universe and that they have natural entitlements. I recently heard someone referring to my teenager’s generation as the generation of entitlements. With so much opportunity and stuff so readily available, it can be incredibly hard for modern parents to convey the responsibilities and sense of duty that go hand-in-hand with freedom, privileges and rights. Privileges and freedoms definitely come with responsibility and the need to have an understanding and appreciation for the realities of such freedom. For example, teaching our children the histories and reasons … Continue reading →

Single Parent Travels: Removing Rewards

Just as I believe that rewards should be given for good behavior, I also believe that things should be removed for negative behavior. I did have to do this a couple of times on our trip. Did it make him angry with me? Yes, for a short while, but then he realized that if he corrected his behavior, he would get whatever was taken away back, and would be able to keep it as long as he continued the positive behavior. We aren’t just talking “things” here either, though that was the most common towards the end of the trip, … Continue reading →

Remember Learning to Share?

In the world I grew up in–and it wasn’t so very long ago, I’m only forty, after all– we had one television and two phone extensions (one in the kitchen and one in my parents room). These phones were connected to the wall completely (no portable or cordless). We didn’t have a computer and we had one household typewriter for doing those school papers. AND, we had one bathroom for three kids (horrors!) Somehow, we managed to grow up just fine without feeling deprived, and we learned how to share. In my little meager household now, we have 3 televisions, … Continue reading →

Coping With the Blame Game

Playing the victim and trying to blame someone or something else for mishaps and mistakes seems to be a natural coping mechanism for many children. There’s something of the survivalist in our children as they attempt to protect themselves and deflect our attentions by blaming anyone and anything else in order to avoid the consequences. One of our challenges as parents is to help our children learn how to take responsibility for their own actions and learn to NOT play the blame game… We do a lot of talking in our home about “personal choices.” Well, if truth be told, … Continue reading →

Keeping Worry in Perspective

I remember long before I ever became a parent, my own mother telling me that being a parent means that you never stop worrying about your child. At the time, this seemed a little excessive and I was probably a teenager, arguing with my mother to get off my back and stop being all up in my business all the time. Now that I have teenagers of my own, they have a very difficult time understanding why I am waiting up and worrying when they don’t call to tell me where they are or they are late getting home. “Stop … Continue reading →