Teaching Children to be Trustworthy
By: Luh Desi Karunia Lestari
Being trustworthy is one of the most important traits that a child should have. It means being able to keep promises, being honest, reliable, and doing what is right.
Are your children trustworthy? Do you trust them with important tasks? Do you believe that they will do the right thing?
It’s not easy but you need to be able to trust them. Trustworthiness is a learned trait and children can start learning it at any age. Besides school, children should also develop the trait at home and parents can help teach them, too.
Here are some ways you can facilitate them to develop the sense of trustworthiness at home:
1. Be an example
You need to be good examples for your children. They should be able to trust their parents, too. You should always keep your promises and be honest and reliable to your children. Remember that trust is mutual. If you trust them, they will trust you, too. Once you break your promise or you lie to them, they will see that it is okay to do that. If you do this repeatedly, they will also learn not to trust you.
2. Have a conversation
You should have a talk with your children about what trust is and what you expect from them. If they break your trust, find out what the problem is and find a solution that can encourage them to be better.
3. Start small
Do not trust your children with tasks that you know they will not be able to do. Start with something small but significant to their growth. Let’s say, you have a 7-year-old kid, you can tell them to make their bed every morning but you can never ask them to wash the car by themselves.
4. Give praise and set consequences
When your children can successfully do something that you entrusted to them, praise them so that they feel motivated. However, you should also set some consequences if they fail to do what you ask so that they know that you mean it.
5. Give opportunity
Trusting your child with tasks might not be easy as you think they are still too young. However, giving opportunity for them is so essential for their growth. You need to trust your child by assigning them with tasks every day so that they can have the chance to learn.
Please keep in mind that learning is a process and raising a trustworthy child needs time and patience. You need to be consistent to elicit good examples and give them opportunity to grow.
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