by Justice Liberty

Created on: October 20, 2009

Teaching your teenagers to become responsible adults is not always as easy as it may seem. At times it seems that the harder you try as a parent, the more the teenager reverts back to the behavior you are trying to get them to leave behind. In today's society, it is difficult to get through to a teenager when they have so many negative influences to lead them astray.

Curfew is a major factor in instructing a teenager to be a responsible adult. Many times the teenager does not understand why they have to be home at a certain time, and feel like you are treating them as if they were a child. By giving them a curfew, you are actually showing them that they have to be responsible enough to follow the rules. Life is full of rules that we must follow to remain productive members of society. My son is a few months away from being 18 years old, and was very upset at the fact that I told him to be home by 11 o'clock last Saturday night. He didn't think about the fact that he was out walking around, in a town that he doesn't live in, or the fact that he was with my best friend's son who is only 15 years old. Needless to say, he will probably not understand until he is older and has children of his own.

Chores are another way to show your child how to be responsible. If you make sure that a teenager has certain chores that must be done before they can go out, you are showing them what life is all about. Eventually they will be employed and will have to have their work done before leaving their job, or they could end up losing it.

Homework plays an important role in teaching your teenager responsibility as well. Much like chores, you must accomplish certain things before you can go out and have fun. If you are not monitoring your teenagers homework, and making sure that they get it done, you are basically telling them that it is not important, thus teaching them that it's acceptable to be irresponsible. Homework also coincides with future employment. If your teenager will not do their homework, how will they be able to complete their work in an employment setting?

Responsibility can be defined as a form of trustworthiness; or the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being held accountable for one's conduct. Responsibility is a life requirement, and if we do not teach our teenagers how to be responsible, who will?

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