| Parents can help their teenagers to be responsible for | | | | of the negative consequence will help the teenager |
| their actions and to learn to take charge of their lives | | | | lean a lesson that he or she will never forget. |
| by allowing them the freedom to make decisions that | | | | My teenage daughter was given the opportunity to |
| could result in failures or successes. We must offer | | | | choose her own high school. We brought her to the |
| our children opportunities to be responsible. | | | | three schools that she was interested to attend the |
| Many parents try to protect their children from failure | | | | admission talks and allow her to interact with the |
| by helping them make the "right" decisions. | | | | students in the schools. We then discuss the pros and |
| Paradoxically, their effort also result in raising | | | | cons of studying in each of the school but we left the |
| unsuccessful children. The best way for children to | | | | decision to her. She decided to take the road less |
| learn to be responsible for themselves is to allow them | | | | travelled and chose a high school that specializes in |
| to make the decision, bear the consequence of their | | | | Maths and Science. Now, two years into her study in |
| decisions and learn from those experiences. | | | | the specialized school, we could see that while the |
| When our children are young, it is easy for parenting to | | | | curriculum is really tough, she hardly complains and in |
| make choices for them and shield them from the | | | | fact she is usually ahead of her project deadlines and |
| consequences of bad choices. However, as our | | | | take responsibility for her own learning and her school |
| children becomes teen, such act by the parents is not | | | | work. Most importantly,she is also enjoying school. |
| going to make it easier for teenagers to learn to make | | | | Parents must realize that we cannot be around all the |
| decisions and choices. | | | | time help our children make decisions so they should |
| We should, instead, encourage our teenagers to think | | | | be given as many opportunities, even from young age, |
| on their own, make choices and live with the | | | | to start taking appropriate responsibilities. This is the |
| consequences. If the consequences turn out to be | | | | best way to prepare our children to face the many |
| negative, we can support them by providing empathy | | | | challenges that they will soon face in their adult life. |
| and helping them go through the difficult time. The pain | | | | |