The Lost Art Of Responsibility

The care that a mother has for her child is an intense bond, which is also driven by a great desire to see children prosper and have a good quality of life, while staying safe from harm. Children learn a number of values from the home, and while schooling and peer interaction can also teach other social tenets, maternal influence can still have the greatest impact on development.

One of the biggest concepts that all mothers try to instill is the sense of responsibility.

This can become difficult since concept and action in this case are not always the same. Further challenges may also arise in cases where modern living has reduced much of the need to learn certain skills that can aid in responsible action.

Children are also a product of the social changes that they experience. With the instant gratification and easy access that technology provides, basic tasks like feeding one’s self and preparing foods can take considerably less effort. However, while this reliance may help children learn to become responsible for self care, it overlooks the fact that the solution to the situation is still dependent upon outside help.  

Extrapolating The Issue

For many mothers, it is a concern whether children have learned enough self-sufficiency to really care for themselves. The problem is that it can be difficult to gauge this level of responsibility unless it is tested. While no mother wants to put her child in a dangerous scenario, there are ways of instilling experiential lessons on responsibility that can also become a bonding experience. An ideal way for mothers and children to work on self-sufficiency is through play. Whether this is spending a day without electricity, taking hikes to learn survival techniques, or role playing emergency situations, these actions are a good forum for both testing skills and learning new things. It can also be important to keep children involved in household decision, such as:

•  Generating emergency plans
• Planning for long-term food storage and water supplies
• Evaluating and selecting food kits
• Checking emergency rations, including blankets and clothes

This engagement provides a space of mutual learning, as well as a way to conceptually and practically understand the idea of responsibility.