Does responsibility comes with a hefty price tag?

As freedom and responsibility are separated by a fine line, it’s common fact for older adolescents to feel confused about taking on the responsibilities of independence. Common expressions I have heard from students are: ‘’I want to be the captain of my own ship, but with less responsibilities or concerns’’.

The question is: ‘’ How can we help our adolescents become more confident and courageous towards responsibility?’’

–Collaboratively development of clear expectations. For example, it is necessary to make sure that our adolescents understand: What must they do?, What specific behaviours should they avoid? What consequences will result if they behave irresponsibly?

–Teaching time management skills. We need to help our teens to estimate the amount of time they’ll need to accomplish each task.

Note: People (adults included!) are notoriously bad at estimating how long tasks will take, so we need to make sure there’s plenty of buffer.

-As most teenagers experience mood swings, we need to help them control their emotions . The technic of  naming the emotion could be effective!

-Encourage our adolescents to pursue self-directed goals. It is important for adolescents to feel that it’s their own choice to do whatever necessary to achieve a goal and they are not forced by an adult!