Accountability - Teach Accountability Early

Accountability sounds like a big responsibility, but if you teach accountability early to your kids, they will be better off for it.

The bonus is that you do, too, as the parent, not to mention the impact on the whole family.

Teaching your child accountability in the early years enables them to grow into a responsible, functional adult.

A child who takes care of a pet by feeding them and ensuring they have fresh water each day becomes a teenager who does their homework without being reminded, then an adult who pays their bills on time.

In the early years, children will likely need a reminder to feed their pets. As they grow older, they may develop a habit of feeding the dog or cat at a specific time or before a particular activity, like before they sit down for dinner.

Being accountable for tasks builds responsibility and time management promotes self-discipline, and fosters a sense of contribution within the family.

It can also help them with problem-solving. How? Imagine if the family were to go on holiday and the dog needed someone to care for it in the child's absence.

By asking the child about their thoughts on how the dog could be cared for in the family's absence, they might come up with solutions you hadn't considered.

If you've decided to put the dog into a pet resort, you could list and discuss the pros and cons of all the options with your child.

Your child is then learning decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Like I keep saying, there's always balance and moderation for everything in life, and too much accountability isn't good either.

Age-appropriate

Making a child accountable for things that aren't age-appropriate can cause overwhelm, and if the accountability is too harsh, it can lead to guilt or shame when mistakes happen.

Age-appropriate tasks are critical. You may have heard about children who have too much responsibility placed on them by their parents, and they suffer because of it.

Below is a list of age-appropriate tasks to help your child learn accountability.

Accountability Tasks

Consequences

Teaching accountability in the early years benefits your child in numerous ways you may not be aware of.

Did you know that accountability reduces stress? When people take responsibility for their actions and consequences, they feel more in control.

This sense of power leads to better long-term health outcomes, as they monitor what they eat, drink, and their fitness levels.

Additionally, they tend to procrastinate less when it comes to completing tasks.

When children are not taught accountability, it often surfaces in other behaviours.

They might blame others for their mistakes, avoid challenges due to a fear of failure, and struggle to take initiative in leadership roles.

Are you going to hold yourself to account and teach accountability early to your child?