As a mum, you do everything in your power to give your child a happy, healthy and safe environment within which to grow up and chase his or her dreams. How do you get your child involved in looking at the bigger pictures in life?

What Does It Mean To Be Responsible?

As an adult and as a parent, you definitely understand what it means to be responsible. You know that being responsible is not always an easy task to accomplish, but it is an important part of having an honourable character. Your child’s ability to face challenges in life rests partially on his or her ability to be responsible and to take responsibility for his or her words and actions.

Three Ways To Raise A Responsible Child

Learning occurs each and every day, whether your child is in the classroom or at home. A responsible child remains mindful of his or her speech, actions and attitudes when interacting with others and when faced with challenges. Here are three ways to emphasise the importance of responsibility in your child’s day-to-day life.

1    Value Thoughts And Opinions To Encourage Responsible Speech

Hear your child out! Helping your child realise he or she has an important voice will help your child be more mindful of what he or she says. Children are often being told what to do or not to do, even if it is for their own good. However, parents and teachers sometimes forget that children having growing minds with plenty of original ideas and unique expressions of identity. By allowing your child to express himself or herself, he or she will feel valued and empowered to choose the right words when he or she speaks to figures of authority, peers and juniors.

For example, by listening to your child’s opinions on a misunderstanding between friends, you can show them the importance of his or her words by teaching your child how to temper his or her expressions in a way that does not hurt others’ feelings, but instead, is focused on solving the misunderstanding.

2      Allow Decision-making To Affirm Responsible Actions

From permitting your child to manage a small amount of money to giving him or her the authority to make choices for appropriate situations, there are several ways your child can learn to make responsible decisions. By explaining to your child the relationship between one’s actions and the resulting consequences, you can help him or her see that making decisions is not only about gaining a personal advantage. Responsible actions work for the best outcome — that may be reaping a benefit for a group of people or about sacrificing a short-term gain to achieve a long-term goal.

For example, making the decision to skip a friend’s party in order to practise for a music exam may seem unpleasant to your child, but it is part of being responsibly committed to honing an artistic skill.

3     Support Reflection To Validate Responsible Attitudes

Setting aside time to explain the concepts of ownership and dignity to your child will help him or her understand the importance of taking charge of objects or situations. Getting your child to think about situations — happy or otherwise — in retrospect, will help him or her have a deeper understanding of people's thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions. Subsequently, internalising these observations will allow your child to become more attuned to having the right response to various situations. You will not only be teaching your child to be responsible for himself or herself and his or her belongings, but also for the people, places and things around him or her.

For example, getting your child to reflect on the negative impacts of littering or bullying will make your child a champion of the strong values you have always tried to instil in him or her.

Responsible Children, Responsible Learning

At The Learning Lab, we believe in developing the whole child by giving your child opportunities to pursue his or her academic passions as he or she grows in strength of character.

The Learning Lab is now available at 9 locations, including the Northeast at Seletar Mall, from June 2018.

If you have any enquiries about our programmes, please email us at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg or call us at 6733 8711 and we will be happy to assist you.