Knowing when your teen is that age to take on responsibilities can be difficult to determine.
To start, teens typically mature at varying degrees.
You can have one teen that is 16 and acts much younger. Meanwhile, a 13-year-old can have the characteristics of someone who in fact is 17 or 18.
Knowing when your teen is ready for things like owning their own phone and staying home alone can be tricky.
With that being the case, when will you know the time is right for your teen to step up to the plate?
Being Personally Responsible
In order for your teen to be responsible for a myriad of actions, take a look at the following:
- Communications – From having a personal computer to one’s own cell phone, there is no set age for these times in life. Some kids even under the age of five are on computers in their family’s homes. In some cases, kids under 10 can be in or outside of their homes with cell phones in-hand. Mind you, those phones are ones their parents gave to them. If your son or daughter is turning 13 soon, do they already have their own cell phone? While having their own phone can be great for contacting you or even in an emergency, there can be some pitfalls. One would be your teen giving out their number on purpose or even in an indirect manner to those who should not have it. In turn, your teen starts receiving calls they should not be getting. If that happens, you as a parent may think about why you would consider a reverse phone lookup. That search could lead you right to the person contacting your son or daughter. If so, you can often put an end to the calls.
- Transportation – Having your teen get behind the wheel can prove nerve-wracking. That said that day will come. When it does, you want your teen as relaxed and focused as possible. Always teach them how important it is to stay in-tune with what is going on around them on the road. This will thereby lessen the chances of them getting into an accident. Before they ever get in an accident, make sure they know what to do when it comes to the aftermath. After making sure they are not injured, they need to jot down the important details of the collision. This includes getting a plate and driver’s license info from anyone else involved. In the event this was a hit-and-run, you hope your teen could at least remember the license plate or vehicle. If they got one or both, you can go ahead with a license plate search. That search online will in many instances turn up the info of the other driver.
- Home – Last, when will you feel comfortable leaving your teen at home alone on a regular basis? If you’ve taught your teen the correct lessons, they will know how to take care of themselves and keep danger away. This means not having friends over to consume alcohol when you’re gone. It also means keeping strangers outside. When you can feel confident about going out and leaving your teen to run the fort, you have one less worry on your hands.
Watching your child turn into a teen can be a great experience on so many levels.
Of most importance, make sure they do it in a responsible manner.
