Kids Should Be Able To Do These 7 Tasks On Their Own By The Time They Reach 13

Feb 27, 2019 by apost team

Good parents understand the importance of nurturing and taking care of their children when the children are young. A lot of that care is a product of necessity - a baby relies on you to bathe it, for example - but by age 13 your child should handle many essential tasks on their own.

Any parent of a teen will tell you how their child loves to sleep, and for how long. Waking them up for school is often a test of patience but, the fact is, it shouldn't be a test at all.

At a certain age, your teen should be able to wake themselves up without your repeated shoulder nudges.

Let them get used to using an alarm clock. If they have a phone, they can set the alarm. Continuing to rely on your help throughout high school will only prepare them for bad habits as adults.

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Family meals are important, and cooking for your teen probably pleases you.

By age 13, however, he or she should be capable of throwing together breakfast or lunch without your assistance.

It gives them the confidence of knowing they can fend for themselves while freeing up time for yourself.

The washing machine shouldn't intimidate your teen!

If they can use a smartphone, they can figure out how to use the washer and learn how to do their laundry.

You can even start small, such as by having them help fold the laundry or help put it away.

It can be tough when your child faces an issue at school. You have a ton of empathy for them and your impulse to step in and handle the situation is oh-so-strong.

While there are still times when you need to get involved, your teen can deal with daily issues - such as those involving homework - with their teachers directly.

Letting them run their own interference, so to speak, prepares them for the larger discussions they'll experience as an adult.

Did they forget their math textbook? Or a sports uniform? Not again!

You've usually come to the rescue when these things occurred in the past, but at a certain age, they need to accept responsibility without you riding in like a knight in shining armor.

If it's something they can't do without - like an asthma inhaler - then you should bring it to them. But the other stuff - well, don't feel like you have to drop everything to cover for their mistake. Consider it a lesson learned on their part.

You've probably reminded your teen several times that you aren't a maid service that automatically steps in when their room gets messy (and you know how messy a teen's bedroom can get).

Your child not only needs to become responsible for the care and upkeep of their room but should also help with household chores such as cleaning.

You don't need them to clean the whole house, but they can easily help with tasks such as vacuuming and dusting.

Speaking of cleaning their room, your teen also should have the responsibility of managing tasks such as making the bed, draining the water after a shower, etc.

In short, they should have the know-how to handle everything related to their self-care.

Is it time for your teen to take on greater responsibility? If so, go over the seven steps above and see which ones they can do, or already may be doing. And, by all means, let other parents know how they can help their teens become more responsible for their own lives.