Raising Responsible Kids

I found these great tips on parenting from this book that is my favorite called,Love and Logic Magic For Early Childhood it's the best book that I have ever read on parenting! And it really works!

Start teaching the value of self-discipline to your kids today by using these tips:

Tip 1: Model self-discipline by thinking out loud.

When your kids can hear you, model self-control by saying things like:

"I sure would like to go faster, but I better stick to the speed limit."

"The clerk handed me too much change. I really wanted to keep it, but I'm glad I was honest and gave it back."

Tip 2: Give your kids a small taste of democracy at home.

Kids who have never been allowed to make decisions when they are young lack the skills essential for making wise ones when they are older. Effective parents teach decision making by giving their children plenty of opportunities to practice. They do this by providing many small choices, such as:

"Would you like apple juice or grape juice?"

"Would you like your curfew to be 9 or 9:30 p.m.?"

Tip 3: Allow your children to make plenty of "affordable" mistakes.

As children grow larger, so do the consequences of their poor decisions. Love and Logic parents pray for their children to make plenty of small mistakes when they are young, so they'll have the wisdom and self-control to avoid larger ones when they're older. Love and Logic teaches, "The road to wisdom is paved with mistakes."

Tip 4: Lock in self-discipline with the "Empathy + Consequence" formula.

The seeds of wisdom and self-discipline are planted when children see their poor decisions lead to uncomfortable consequences. Unfortunately, some parents destroy the teaching value of consequences by delivering them with anger. Parents who make this mistake raise kids who reason, "When I act irresponsibly, it makes other people really mad. Next time, I'd better not get caught." Not surprisingly, these children lack self-control and require constant supervision.

Wise parents deliver consequences with sincere sadness or empathy. As a result, their children reason, "When I act irresponsibly, it makes my life sad. The quality of my life depends on the decisions I make." Therefore, these kids understand freedom and responsibility go hand-in-hand.
Enjoy!