The Responsibilities of Parenting

What is my role as a parent?

Many things that parents feel responsible for or about are really the responsibility of their children. “Child Saving” seldom, if ever, works. In fact, it tends to make things worse. Often it is only a cover for some feeling of inadequacy.

Parent’s Responsibilities:

1. Setting and enforcing reasonable limits for a teenager.
2. Being consistent, following through on promises and threats.
3. Maintaining a commitment to your teenager.
4. Involving and supporting your teen in age appropriate activities.
5. Encouraging your teen to express their feelings, deal with them and to problem solve.
6. Rewarding achievement based on reasonable expectations.
7. Themselves: Parents are responsible for their own behaviour, attitudes and feelings. They need to deal with their feelings – not project them, conceal them or deny them.

Parents are not Responsible for:

1. Controlling their son/daughter’s behaviour, successes or failures.
2. Their son/daughter’s feelings.
3. Controlling their son/daughter’s substance abuse, failure in school or delinquency.
4. Bailing their children out when they are out of control and irresponsible.

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