WebParenTips - The Online Parenting Newsletter
vol.8 no.3, March 7, 2007


REAL-LIFE RESPONSIBILITY

Scenario: Mom and children (11-year-old twins) visiting G and G (Grandma and Grandpa). Mom gets sick, bad cough diagnosed as bronchitis, X-ray negative, postpone travel home one day. Day of travel arrives and Mom still sick but they have to get home.

Grandma (me) takes the twins aside and ask them if they know what it means to be "deputized." They reply that a deputy is an assistant sheriff. Good enough.

I deputize them to be their Mom’s assistant on the trip home. Each will roll one of the family’s two suitcases, carry their own coats and backpacks AND Mom’s coat and backpack when they are waiting in line at the airport. They will get her anything she needs like water or tea. They will not roll their eyes when Mom puts on a "nerdy mask" to prevent the passage of viruses to others on the plane. Most important of all they will not fight as this could upset Mom. They will call me on Mom’s cell phone when they get to their plane change city to let me know how she is doing.

I call this REAL-LIFE RESPONSIBILITY. Is 11 too young to worry about Mom? I don’t think so. The reality is they will worry about a sick mom anyway. Responsibility empowers them to play a role in helping her. The message they get is that an adult thinks they are grown-up enough to act like grown-ups do when someone needs help.

There may be times when your children need to be deputized to take over an adult task. I was very specific in assigning tasks and I got their attention first with "deputizing." (I’m kind of proud of that hook.) Find your own way of engaging your child in the problem and be specific when you assign tasks.

Post-travel scenario: Despite some travel delays everybody got home OK and Mom is recuperating.

Marilyn Heins, M.D.

For parenting information, a free monthly newsletter, a personal answer to your parenting questions, or to order my parenting book, "ParenTips" visit my website, http://www.ParentKidsRight.com.


NOTE: There are New ParenTips on the website.
See: ParenTips


For comments, suggestions or requests for future topics
please write: info@parentkidsright.com


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Dr. Marilyn Heins is a Tucson pediatrician, parenting
columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, author of the book,
ParenTips, as well as a mother, stepmother and grandmother.

She is available for workshops and lectures to groups of
parents, teachers, and grandparents. See: Dr. Heins’ Lectures
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Subscribe to WebParenTips

STOP receiving WebParenTips


More parenting information can be found in Dr. Heins' book, ParenTips