Responsibilities

As we look at our life we see four areas of Responsibilities: Time, Money, Possessions and Work. It is these areas that demand skills often labelled Life Skills. Once again, the family offers a great training ground for learning these skills and in doing so fulfil our homeschool goals to prepare our children for their lives ahead.

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Some people are born organisers and others are not! I am one of the nots! Though my mother began training me in this area from a very early age. I still remember her saying, Have you checked your list? This was her way of teaching me to have a system that reminded me what needed to be done, to stay on task and to work in a timely fashion.

As an adult, I personally would rather do what I feel like, when I feel like it but I know that unless I have a plan in front of me I will not achieve the things that are on my heart to achieve. This is time management.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.

- William Penn

Though it may not be money that makes the world go around, we all come in touch with this resource throughout our day.

We have taught our children there are 3 legitimate ways to get money:

• Work
• Gift
• Inheritance

Regardless of how you receive it – you must be responsible with it.

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money;
it lies in the joy of achievement,
in the thrill of creative effort.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

This is another area that comes under the heading of Stewardship. We must be responsible with the things that we own. In this throwaway society this is becoming even more of a concern to teach this to our children. Learning responsibility with our possessions will include organization and maintenance.

We believe that Work was a responsibility given to man at the time of creation. Yes, work is hard but it has its rewards. Though work may look different to each and every person/child the ethics that drive our ability to work remain the same as does the necessity. Here is a series of articles that develop this aspect of our life.

Genius is one percent inspiration and
ninety-nine percent perspiration.

- Thomas Alva Edison

Character Education is important to our family and therefore it has its own place on our website. See Character Education.

There are many character traits that will affect how we relate to these areas of our life though there are a few specific traits that need to be a primary consideration in terms of Time, Money, Possessions and Work.

• Punctuality
• Flexibility

• Generosity
• Thriftiness

• Orderliness
• Resourcefulness

• Diligence
• Thoroughness

FAQ about Responsibilities Training

Q. How do I choose a good curriculum when I am not confident in these topics myself?

A. There are two parts to this question

1. a good curriculum
2. lack of confidence on the parents behalf

The best way to learn these Responsibilities is to have to work with them, even at a young age. Though there are plenty of choices as far as curriculum and resources go, a mentor who manages their own responsibilities will be the best to guide your children. With a living example in front of them they will learn a lot more than reading a book.

A context is where there is a need to learn something.

I fully believe in creating a context for our children to learn. With a context they can learn anything; any habit, skill or information.

• When we give our children time limits or restraints we teach them to manage their time.
• When we give our children the opportunity to work for pay we teach them to manage their money and they develop a work ethic.
• When we give our children the responsibility to care for their possessions we teach them to be good stewards of all they have.

This is creating a context for them to learn to manage their Responsibilities.

The second part to this answer deals with feelings of inadequacy. There are many areas of our life that we want to do better in and that we feel inadequate with. Time, Money, Possessions and Work may well summarise the areas of your life that you feel you need to work on. If you rise up and work on these areas you have the opportunity to learn yourself and as you grow you can teach your children two lessons in one shot!

• First lesson is that these areas of Responsibility are important and need to be learnt.
• Second lesson is that learning is a life long endeavour.

Do not be afraid of admitting a lack of your own knowledge, or even self-control. Work on it together, within the secure bounds of your family. This being said, you may well need a resource or a mentor of your own. Be guided by your needs and your family needs before you presume you need a curriculum to guide you through these areas of Responsibilities.