Teaching Teens Responibility

When you formally develop a set of expectations for your teen, you begin to set your teen up for succeeding in meeting those expectations. That’s the first step in learning to handle responsibilities. Here are a few suggested expectations for teens by age level. Please do not feel that your teenager should be doing all of them. Pick and choose a few and add on as your teen is able to handle more responsibilities.

Preteens:

• Managing an allowance.

• Making plans with friends and giving you all of the necessary information.

• Have useful daily habits like making his/her bed and picking up his/her room.

• Cleaning his/her room – vacuuming, dusting, etc – weekly, with some parental help.

• Take phone messages and putting them where someone will see them.

Older Teens:

• Everything on the preteen list that you have not added before.

• Cleaning his/her room – vacuuming, dusting, etc – weekly.

• Doing a daily household chore, such as cleaning the dinner dishes, straightening the family room, swiping down the bathroom, etc.

• Helping with the weekly household chores.

• Make sure the gas gauge in the car does not go below a quarter of a tank.

• Marking special dates and plans on the family calendar or planner.

Be sure to praise your teenager when he/she accomplishes his/her responsibilities. A simple hug and a “good job” will go a long way.