Responsibility

As I was doing my laundry, my nephew aged 7 years walks to the sink with his muddy slippers and takes a hand brush and soap then he begins to clean them. Naturaly he would have dump them on the sink and attend to his business, and wait for the house help to clean them. He began cleaning them with keenest to ensure they shined. This got me thinking, what is responsibility? According to web defination, responsibility as a duty is; the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force. "We must instill a sense of duty in our children." every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty."- John D. Rockeffeller Jr. My nephew was so excited on his achievement and just to show how good his work was, he hurriedly displayed his slippers to the mum with expectation of praise, but instead the mum just stared at the work and said nothing, she continued preparing lunch. I was to give a commendation later on but sensing the disappointment he might have felt, I decided to tell him that his job was well done, it was good. In a broad defination, responsibility is doing what is right (every right implies a responsibility). My nephew did what was right-wash his own dirty slippers, then how can you teach your child about responsibility? Teaching children to be responsible involves finding ways to help children feel competent, to know what's right and to do what's right.
In this case my sister would have assured my nephew that whatever he was doing is remarkable and good, that would leave a mark in the heart of a child. In Scouting we define responsibility as fulfilling one's duty to God, country, others and yourself.
In this case he was fulfilling his duty to self thats why he did the work im the first place even without being told. I have observed him folding his clothes but this time the mum had requested him to do so and still he did it with excellence, that means a child who is self motivated can do exploits even without being pushed. Parents nurture your child in to developing core values.
The authority of parents is a positive influence which sustains and increases each child's indepedence and sense of responsibility; it is a service they offer their children in the process of their education, a service implying the power to decide and sanction; it is a help which consists in guiding the part played by the children in family life, directing their increasing independence and making them responsible; it is an essential element in the love for their children, which manifests itself in various ways in different circumstances. Parents play a vital role in child development and especially moulding their character.
As stakeholders in developing a better world, lets join hands to ensure our children grow to be responsible at all times. God bless you.