Self-Sufficient Kids Turn into Self-Sufficient Adults

So... Do your kids clear their plates after dinner? Make their beds? Brush their teeth independently? Well as we know, your kids learn from what you DO, not what you say.

If you tell your kids that they need to have a clean bedroom before bed, but your room is a mess, how successfully do you think you'll be getting your kids to follow your words? Not very.

I like starting small. Clearing your dishes and cleaning your room may sound reasonable to you, but it can be overwhelming for a young child.

For my kids, we started with smaller steps like clearing one of their plates (I'm not sure about your kids, but mine seem to have multiple dishes they get dirty). Another helpful area is for toy cleanup: "Can you please pick up three things off the floor?"

The best dads also take that as an opportunity to work together, as well. So Instead of "clean your room" or "pick up three things from the playroom," make it a father/child bonding experience. You can comment as well to teach a nice lesson lesson "even though I didn't play with these toys; I don't mind helping clean up."

And admire the effort, even in the case where their actions might be slowing things down (haven't we all been there?). Praise them for the effort, not the outcome. And this is an essential lesson for your kids: If you make the right effort time after time, the right results eventually occur.

You can see how you can build these responsibilities over time. Then, as your kids get older, the natural question of allowance will then come up, which we'll address in a future article.

Your child is a child. While you want to help them become successful adults, let them explore, learn, grow, and be kids. And that, along with your love and support, is what they need most.

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And finally, an important reminder: