Helping Teens Become Responsible Adults

Through support, guidance and positive parenting, you can help your teenager develop into a responsible adult. The teenage years teach your young adult how to face hardships, overcome obstacles, and learn from mistakes and poor decisions. Targeted parenting techniques help you mold your teens into successful adults.

Household Responsibilities

Collaborate with your teen to develop house rules. Share expectations with your teen, and ask her what she thinks of your rules. Welcome suggestions from her, and work on solutions and compromises together. By respecting your teen's opinion, you help her learn how to make smart choices, a trait she will carry with her into her adulthood. When discussing rules, divide the workload. Make your teen contribute to the household chores. Assign specific daily or weekly tasks to your teen, and ensure that she contributes to the household upkeep, whether you expect her to clean her room or mow the lawn. Such tasks teach responsibility 1.

Organizational Skills

Teach organizational skills. Encourage your teen to keep his room organized. Help him maintain a calendar that tracks his school assignments and extracurricular activities. Share organizational strategies that you use to help your teen find the best way to maintain organization. These skills encourage teens to meet deadlines, make appointments and maintain a routine now -- and into their adulthood.

Life Lessons

Your teen is going to make mistakes. Rather than harping on a poor decision, use it as a learning opportunity. Talk to your teen about why she made the decision that she did and, moreover, why another choice would have been better. Learning from mistakes helps teens mature and develop. Engage your teen in important conversations about their struggles, goals and long-term desires. Thinking critically and thoughtfully can help your teen develop into a caring adult.

Respect for Others

Being a responsible adult includes respecting others -- their beliefs and, often, their differences. Teach this trait to your teen by talking to him about diversity and the importance of respecting cultures, attitudes and opinions. Serve as a good role model by following these guidelines yourself. Encourage teens to treat their peers with respect. Teach them about helping others by volunteering together as a family to help an individual or family in need.