As a parent we always strive to make our children more responsible people.

We can use our knowledge and experience to shape their mind-set, which can make them live their lives with a responsibility to the society, country and the environment as a whole.

De-Addiction of Consumerism

The consumerist culture has never been the way it is today. Before we start blaming that our children are falling into this trap, we need to make sure that we are not already addicted to it. After all, our children observe us and mirror our actions. We should help our children strike a balance between ambition and greed. And for that we need to find that balance ourselves. To deserve before we want.

Economic Awareness

As homemakers, we all make a monthly budget for our household expenses. Involve your teens into this activity; they are old enough to know how much you spend. This can be done during summer or winter holidays. Give them your budget and ask for their help to stick to it. Tell them that if they reduce it by 5%, they can get to keep 50% of the saved amount. This is very similar to the share of savings targets, which we apply at work with our clients.

Let them enter the bills on a spread sheet, and see how expensive it is to run a household. As children, they want to succeed, they will start saving food, water, reduce wastage. They will apply their imagination and their learning in school to find innovative ways to run the budget. This will slowly become a habit, and they will start inculcating it in their daily life.

Tolerance and Acceptance

As parents we are all trying to raise our children with good character and values. We teach them to respect our tradition and roots. But as the world is becoming a global village, as they grow they will meet more and more people whose culture, tradition and beliefs may be completely different from theirs. From a formative age, we have to teach them to have an open and accepting attitude towards all faiths and beliefs.  

Respect Your Surroundings

It is already an age of confusion and bravado, without us endorsing it.  As a joke, or in a discussion, we tend to trivialise the law, the environment, not care about environmental resources. Kids pick up on that and will grow up to be disrespectful to their living environment. Instead we should tell them to be socially responsible human beings. 

So go on an help your teen become a better person today.