Responsible Child

So, this morning I was thinking about Kaiden and the type of man I want him to be when he grows up. The word responsible rang through my head so I decided to look the word up in the dictionary and this is what it means.

responsible [ri-spon-suh-buhl] –adjective 

1) answerable or accountable, as for something within one'spower, control, or management (often fol. by to  or for ): Heis responsible to the president for his decisions. 

2) involving  accountability or responsibility: a responsible position. 

3) chargeable with being the author, cause, or occasion of something (usually fol. by for ): Termites were responsiblefor the damage.

4) having  a capacity for moral decisions and there fore accountable;  capable of rational thought or action: Thedefendant is not responsible for his actions. 

5) able to discharge obligations or pay debts.

6) reliable or dependable, as in meeting debts, conductingbusiness dealings, etc.

7) (of a government, member of a government, governmentagency, or the like) answerable to or serving at the discretion of an elected legislature or the electorate. 

Wow, being responsible is a tall order but really it does cover the overall requirements of God and society. Except for loving his neighbor as himself, yet then again that would be the responsible thing to do.

So, the question is how do I teach him to be responsible? One thing I do have for his benefit is a husband that is that man I want him to be.  I can also teach him these principles by give him the opportunity to set up and be responsible. At 2 and a half there isn’t a ton that he can do, but there is still a lot he can.

I created a responsibility chart for him, which he can be awarded with stamps or stickers. At some point we’ll teach him to have financial responsibility with an allowance, which he will be required to tithe, save and invest. As for now he just gets awarded with the stamps and stickers. It’s very rewarding for him and he is starting to understand that making big messes isn’t so fun when he is responsible for cleaning them up.

responsibility    [ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee] –noun, plural -ties.

1) the state or fact of being responsible.

2) an instance of being responsible: The responsibility for this mess is yours!

3) a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible:the responsibilities of authority.

4) a person or thing for which one is responsible: A child is a responsibility to its parent.

	M	Tu	W	Th	F	Sa	Su
Make Your Bed
Help Daddy
Help Mommy
Go On the Potty
Eat Food
Put Clothes Away
Brush Teeth
Pick up toys