A Tradition of Good Habits

August 18, 2009 at 7:01 AM by Cafe Cynthia - Comments (1)

Photo by bjsmombren

Do you ever look at your teen and think about how differently they are growing up from the way you did?

I consider myself a pretty responsible person, and I thank my mom and dad for that. They were the opposite of helicopter parents, letting me make my own decisions and working out my own solutions.

But I worry in these days of over-protectiveness that I'm not doing all I can to foster the same qualities in my own children.

So as my own kids grow ever closer to their teen years, I've compiled a list of some of the habits I'm going to try my darndest to instill to foster maximum responsibility and independence:

-- They need to find their own job and make their own money.

-- Find their own transportation to and from work: bike, legs. My parents never chauffeured me.

-- Saving for and buying their own car, paying for my own auto insurance.

-- Helping out around the house -- without an allowance.

-- Doing their own homework, seeking extra help from teachers if they need it.

-- Deciding on their own college without too much parental involvement.

-- Putting elders before themselves -- holding the door and allowing strangers to go through first, saying please and thank you to EVERYONE.

What habits or attitudes of your own do you hope to instill in your teenagers? What did you do as a teen that you wish your children would do (that they'd never dream of doing)?