The Simple Reason Why Some Kids Don’t Thrive in the Real World & Others Do

Making Their Lives TOO EASY

3 Ways to Teach Kids Responsibility

If you see your child in this description, don’t be discouraged. The fact that you are reading this blog post means that you are a parent that cares. 

It is never too late to pass down knowledge to your kids. 

Here are some things that kids can & should learn to do themselves. Feel free to use it as a checklist if you still need to teach them some of these things. 

First things first – let’s talk driver’s licenses! 

One of the biggest mistakes I have seen many parents make is not letting their kids get their driver’s license or not encouraging them to if it’s the kid that doesn’t want it. Having a driver’s license is a pre-requisite to many of the adulting tasks below, so if they don’t have one, then they will not be able to do some of these things. 

Kids that don’t have the responsibility of getting themselves places on time don’t have the chance to learn time management as it relates to keeping their word. Sure, they could tell you that they need to be take somewhere, but if you’re the one driving the real responsibility is yours. 

If access to a vehicle is an issue, then part of each item below will be understanding public transportation schedules or earning money in order to take an Uber. Those are both important things as well. 

• Sign up for a 6+ month long commitment and see that commitment through – Whether it’s volunteering at the local animal shelter every Monday evening or serving dinner at church youth group on Wednesdays….success in this area comes from steady commitment with a good attitude. I like to teach my kids that they shouldn’t commit to things they cannot do wholeheartedly because people depend on them. It’s better to do fewer things than to commit to everything and always feel like you’re letting someone down. 
• Make their own dentist appointments & drive themselves there. This is a multi-goal task that actually requires a lot of them & is good practice for real world situations. It requires responsibility, attention to detail AND self reliance. Most medical offices allow kids age 16 or older to bring themselves to appointments. It may require the parent filling out a special permission form, but I have yet to find a medical provider that does not allow this. Give your child their own insurance card, some money to pay the co-pay or other charges, and tell them the name of the dentist office. They need to call to make their own appointment that fits with their schedule, remember that appointment by keeping track of it on their schedule, make sure they get there early enough to fill out any forms, and make their own follow-up appointment. My daughter has been doing this since age 16 and she is a pro now at age 18.  
• Do the weekly grocery shopping – a major part of being an adult is figuring out what is for dinner every night! And groceries are so expensive these days that some lessons in food shopping will go a long way. You can get serious and teach them a skill like stacking triple coupons but I like to start with something easier like showing them which grocery stores in your area have the best prices, best produce for the price, etc. In our area, that is hands down Trader Joes, Aldi and Food Lion. 

P.S. Honorable Mention – Have them file for their own passport if they don’t have one already! The passport application is more confusing than it used to be and actually requires a bit of research, appointment making, and official record keeping. This one allows them to practice storing & retrieving important documents like their birth certificate as well.