Teach your children about accountability and responsibility with the advice in our many articles, blog posts and podcasts on the subject. Learn what "being accountable" really means—and why it's vital to teach it to your child. Teen responsibility isn't just a dream. Step by step advice from straight-talking experts.
The alarm goes off and the morning battle begins: you knock on your child’s bedroom door to wake him, but you have to go back time and again to make sure he’s actually up, your voice rising with each “wake-up call.” As the minutes tick by and he still hasn’t gotten out of bed, you... Read more »
“It’s not fair! You’re always yelling at me, even when it’s not my fault!” Sound familiar? The minute you say no, or set limits, or try to enforce the rules, your child immediately says that you’re not being fair and that you always pick on him. He overreacts constantly to routine requests and takes no responsibility... Read more »
"My 13-year-old daughter's bedroom is a complete mess. It looks like a tornado just ripped through it. And when I ask her politely to clean it up, she either ignores me or throws a fit!" If this sounds like your child, you're not alone. Many parents who use the Empowering Parents coaching service complain about... Read more »
"I wouldn't be in trouble at school if my mom had just written me an excuse," complained a teen I was counseling recently. "And the teacher didn't have to fail me–he could've let me off with a warning!" As I listened to this bright 15-year-old kid explain why everyone was at fault for his situation... Read more »
Many parents spend enormous amounts of energy lecturing their kids about the importance of being responsible. Often to no avail. Despite the lectures, your kid still won’t clean their room, empty the dishwasher, complete their homework, or apologize to their little brother. To your child, it probably just sounds like nagging. And for good reason.... Read more »
The idea that kids should learn to do chores for some abstract reason—like duty or responsibility—sounds good on paper, but has very little practical application in a child's life. It just doesn't work as a strategy. But there are practical steps you can take to get your kids to do their chores. Getting kids to do... Read more »
“My 14-year-old son is late for everything. It’s always, “In a minute,” or “I’m almost ready.” He’s not a bad kid, but he just doesn’t seem to understand that there are people waiting for him. The last straw was when he made us miss the beginning of our daughter’s high school play recently, even though... Read more »
Does your child ignore your requests to clean his room? Does he seem unable or unwilling to do even the simplest household chores? How do you teach a child to be responsible without nagging and screaming? In addition to being a mom herself, Janet Lehman, MSW, is a social worker who successfully ran residential treatment... Read more »
Whenever an adolescent doesn’t want to take responsibility, it’s very likely they’ll present themselves as a victim. When your child says, “You don’t understand me,” that’s playing the victim, because what they’re really saying is, “I’m a victim of your misunderstanding." When they say, “My teacher is mean. That’s why I didn’t do my homework,”... Read more »
The idea that a kid is responsible for things is not inborn—it doesn't just happen by itself. It needs to be taught, coached, and learned. In some ways, it's no mystery: kids are born with no responsibilities, and everything they do is by instinct. They cry when they're hungry or want something, and they go to... Read more »
