Family Responsibility

To be fully prepared to participate as active, contributing members of our society and world our children need to learn to be responsible for themselves, others and the environment. This deeper level of responsibility or social responsibility includes an awareness and growing appreciation of our connectedness to and interdependence on each other and our environment. On their way to becoming adults, the development of social responsibility can help our children find out who they are, what they can do and where they fit in our world. Parents (and communities) can provide opportunities for children and youth to learn about their world and how to contribute to the greater good and provide recognition to reinforce this.
By creating a caring and loving home environment, teaching children the importance of their actions and decisions, and teaching them the values of respect and concern for others, parents can build the foundation for social responsibility. Numerous lessons and opportunities abound in every day family life. When a child does something that hurts their brother or sister, parents can help them to reflect on how the other person feels as a result of what they did and how they might make amends or do things differently next time. Over time and with regular practice, children can grow in self control and accountability for their actions. Parents can extend the opportunities to care beyond the family to include others in their community including people in need. They also teach  how a small act can make a big difference. Taking your child to visit an older adult in the community who lives alone or in a nursing home or helping them pack up some of the clothing and toys they have outgrown to bring to children at the local homeless shelter can reinforce the lesson of caring for others and social responsibility.
Our children are eager to learn about their world along with what they can do to make a difference. Keeping in mind the age of the child and having fun...