What am I talking about this week? I forget. Oh that’s right forgetfulness. As we age, our memory of specific occurrences in our lives dwindles. We have trouble remembering what was said to people, what we’ve done, and even simple things like what we’ve had for breakfast. As the brain gets older, forgetfulness is a natural part of the aging process. Forgetfulness caused by aging is not the worst kind of forgetfulness. Forgetfulness that comes from a lack of caring or sense of responsibility is much worse.

Parents, how many times a week do you have to remind your children to do their chores or their homework? Is it more than two? Having to be reminded is not a good habit to instill in them. Providing these reminders enables your child to be forgetful and to avoid responsibility. Rather than reminding him more than one time, you need to let your child face the consequences of what happens when he forgets to do something he is supposed to do.

The real world will not remind your child of his responsibilities. While there are certain things for which I’ll send a reminder email or set an alarm, many things will not remind more than once. Bills, taxes, insurance enrollment periods, homework, assignments, and much more are not going to care whether or not your child remembers to do them. However, they will punish your child in one way or another for not doing them. This is why it’s important to teach your children to be mindful of their responsibilities.

An easy way to start this process is with the weekly chore. This doesn’t have to be something that’s a serious situation if they don’t do it. It just needs to be something that you will notice if it’s incomplete. This task might be taking out the trash, walking the dog, or vacuuming the floor. None of these tasks are life or death, but if they’re not happening, you will notice. Depending on your parenting style, you might want to punish your child after the first offense or simply give him a warning. Either way, you need to acknowledge that you noticed that he did not complete his task, you were upset about it, and there will be consequences. Establishing this behavior chain at an early age can help your child form positive habits about his responsibilities.

-       Bria