How to Raise Responsible Kids – Part 1

My guess is that if we did a poll of every parent we know and asked them what they most want for their children, what we would find at the core is that we all want to raise responsible kids.

We may each have a different definition of what responsible means, but after working with many families to plan for the children’s future, I can say with confidence that raising a responsible child is a hallmark of success for most parents.

Once your child becomes seen and known as responsible, your level of freedom and ease increases substantially.

In service to that, I will be sharing with you a series of articles on How to Raise Responsible Kids, starting with this one.

The first step in raising responsible kids, means truly understanding the meaning of the word “responsible”, so we’ll start there.

The classic dictionary definition of responsible is not really what I am speaking of here.

One dictionary definition of responsible is: “having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one’s job or role.”

Many parents confuse the kind of responsible that provides real peace and true security, which I’ll speak to in a moment, with the dictionary definition of responsible, which is more of obligation or duty.

Responsibility based in obligation or duty is not nearly as powerful as responsibility based on inspiration and internal motivation.

True responsibility actually means less about your children’s ability to live up to their obligations, hold down a job in the same way you did, or even re-create the lifestyle you’ve been able to provide for them (though all those things would, of course, be great), and more about your children being able “to be trusted to do what is right.”

Over the rest of this series, I’ll look at several different examples of what this means in various contexts, including money, relationship, and work.

I’m looking forward to exploring this with you as we all strive for the true peace of mind and security that comes with raising responsible kids.

If you have any specific questions or thoughts on this, please let me know so I can address them either individually or in an upcoming article.

Dedicated to your family’s wealth, health, and happiness,