All parents want their children to be well-liked by adults and peers alike. They want them to grow up into socially responsible and respectful adults. But this is especially challenging when culture doesn’t often reward honorable behavior and instead tolerates dysfunction. How can parents fight the uphill battle and win?
What Does “Socially Responsible” Mean?
Someone is socially responsible when their occupation, hobbies, and relationships are not harmful to society or the environment. For kids, this might mean not vandalizing school property, throwing away their Gatorade bottle after soccer practice instead of littering, and standing up against bullies.
Remember Parents are Role Models
Kids mirror what they see. This is a good reality check for parents. What are you teaching your child, through words, actions, television shows or movies, apps, books, are more? Are you a socially responsible person? Are you celebrating social responsibility, or are you letting things slide?
These are critical questions to answer before expecting your children to be socially responsible themselves. If you discover ways in which you can improve, the first place to start is by bettering yourself, and becoming the role model your child needs.
Parents, Model Kindness
By far the most common denominator in any social responsibility situation is kindness. Without kindness, there can be no social responsibility.
Of course, this starts with parents modeling kindness. How can children know what kindness is unless they experience kindness themselves? Children look to their parents to understand kindness. The degree to which you give kindness to your children is the degree to which they will extend kindness to others.
One way to teach kindness is for your child can ask themselves: would I want someone else to do or say this to me? If the answer is no, they can ask a follow-up question: what would I want someone to do or say to me? The hard part, of course, is doing what you would like to be done to you.
Parents, Model a Team Mentality
Another aspect of social responsibility is being on a team. Once they make their way to the workforce, they must pull together with other individuals for the good of the company so they can continue being employed. They work alongside strangers for the good of the environment.
As a parent, you can model this team mentality in your own home. Everyone under your roof is on the same team. Celebrate victories, exhort one another to be better, and have one another’s back. This will overflow into other relationships and set a firm foundation for their futures.
Parents, Include Kids in Household Contributions
Before the Industrial Revolution, most families lived on farms, and everyone–man, woman, and child–contributed to the needs of the household. Everyone had a job to do, and the rest of the family was counting on them to do this job for the betterment of the family. This wasn’t burdensome, but actually very fulfilling for children to feel not only wanted but needed.
In our society, the expectation for children is to have a fun and carefree childhood. But really, our children thrive when they have some responsibility when they feel wanted and needed in the household. Not only that, but giving kids responsibility early helps them learn socially responsible skills.
Some ways kids can contribute to the needs of the household include:
- Picking up their toys
- Keeping their rooms tidy
- Cleaning up after meals
- Making meals or snacks
- Folding or putting away laundry
- Filling up pet food and water dishes
Parents, Let Them Fix Their Mistakes
No matter how well you teach social responsibility to your kids, they will make mistakes. It’s our natural parenting inclination to sweep in and patch up our kid’s mistake. If they forget their homework, you drive it to school. If they hurt their friend’s feelings, you apologize to them. But this strategy does more harm than good.
Children need to learn how to fix their mistakes. This is a hard thing, but it’s necessary! You won’t be there for every poor choice or harsh word, and if they’ve never fixed a problem on their own, they will crumble. When children fix their mistakes, it will:
- Help them learn what to do differently next time
- Be a deterrent from making the same or similar mistake
- Give them a sense of accomplishment
- Bring true conflict resolution between peers or teachers
Teaching Social Responsibility at Bright Start Louisville
At Bright Start Louisville, we support you in teaching social responsibility. We always seek to model towards children and expect kindness between children and peers. Our classrooms have a team mentality where we support one another and have each other’s backs. The daily schedule has regular times for clean-up, child helpers, and volunteering. Bright Start Louisville reinforces all the hard work you’re doing at home toward raising socially responsible children.