Some of these are in the ‘it depends…’ category.
Great list to keep in mind

I think some of these depend. Being a stay at home Mum I happily got the teens breakfast on weekdays when they were rushing around getting ready to head to school and I also packed their lunch. Sometimes I would also pack their lunches when they went to Uni but only if I had nothing else to do that morning. I was happy to do this and my kids always said thank you. I cant remember a time when they ever contacted me to say that they had forgotten something but if they had I would have happily helped them out and delivered the forgotten item. I feel this would only be an issue if it was a constant problem. I also did all their laundry. I do the washes on a saturday and its everyones responsibility to have their dirty clothing in the hamper. If its not there then they have to wait another week before it will be washed. We do not do extra loads as thats a waste of water.

I do think think that we need to remember that if we are lucky we will be old one day and our children will be the ones looking after us. If I treat my children with respect now I hope that they will treat me with respect when im old.

I agree wholeheartedly – think my kids were responsible before 13 and they are all doing great these days.

Ooh, 13 is so far away from my children, I can’t imagine them being independent yet!. I agree with some of the other comments that number 7 is important to be involved with particularly with recent court cases.

I do agree with some of these. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I totally agree with all of these. They are all great ideas. I actually used to wake my mum up half the time as she would sleep through her alarm clock and to this day I am really good at waking up. I would also add to this- let you teen get a job as soon as they are old enough so that they can start learning responsibility and they can start saving and buying things for themselves like those shoes that you think are just a bit too expensive.

I do support a lot of these however, each teenager is different. My son has Aspergers and is in Year 12 so we have additional challenges and issues. Whilst he had made his lunch until end of Year 10, a really tough year last year meant I took back that minor chore for him. Making his lunch just relieves something from his day/night. I also do his laundry and always have. When Year 12 finishes, we will revisit and change responsibility for these chores.

I do most things here but I must admit, I still pack lunches, but only because I have to do 3 other young childrens lunches and what’s one more!!! Also, I’m worried she many not eat anything (I was guilty of that all though my school years)

yeah i agree with these except number 7. you should be aware of the communications between the student and their teachers/adults in their life. This is still your responsibility, not theirs. Even in regards to part time jobs, you still need to be involved and be aware of how they are doing in their job

Things a parent should take to the school if they are forgotten is their glasses and medications (especially if it can be a serious, even life threatening situation)
You may have forgotten to get the prescription filled. Most pharmacies will not supply school age pupils with medications, even if they are teenagers.

Some very good points !

I still fill out their forms but everything else they have done for years, they even packed their own preschool lunchboxes

I think there are situations where parents should be the ones communicating with teachers. On the other hand, even my four year old helps with her lunch and gets some f her breakfast. Although we have ade that easier with things like cereal dispensers.

Ops! I am guilty of still a lot of stuff. I’m a stay at home mum, so for me it’s normal that I still do my daughter’s laundry for example. She has an alarm clock, but ten minutes after it rings, I go and check that my daughter is awake. I still prepare her breakfast and her lunch box. But I was in hospital last week for a couple of nights, and she managed without me. So I am sure that if the need arises, she will be able to do stuff I generally do for her.

Its definitely the time for kids to learn to be self sufficient adults. But thats just it. They’re learning. The do still need help.

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  • • Tracy Hardy replied
    • 07 Aug 2017 , 1:18 pm

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  Totally agree, it is all a learning curve even as an adult at times!