Know the facts

  10 Tips for Raising Independent Children 1 .  Give them chores Giving your kids age-appropriate chores will not only challenge them, but it will help them be successful later in life. Whether they're small tasks or big to-dos around the house, giving your child some sort of responsibility will help them with time management, commitment and goal-setting in the future. 2 .  Reward them with an allowance Rewarding your child for completing their chores is a great way to teach kids about independence. In my house, weekly chores must be completed (without fussing—this part is important!) to earn the full allowance. A chore chart can be helpful here, especially when first getting started. 3 .  Teach them how to save (and spend) money Purchase a piggy bank and teach your kids from an early age how to handle their money. Guide and encourage them to save for something they really want, but ultimately, let them decide. (They'll learn the hard way if they spend their har...

 Kids need Freedom, Responsibility more than Attention One of the more difficult facts for today’s parents, as a rule, to wrap their heads around is the — I’ll say it again, with emphasis —  fact   that children do not need (as a general rule) a lot of attention. I was there, working as a journeyman psychologist in a community mental health center, when the children-need-lots-of-attention myth had its genesis. The professional consensus at the time (early 1970s) was that any persistent inappropriate behavior was a “cry for attention.” Said another way, the parents of the child in question were depriving him of feeling that the universe had been eagerly anticipating his arrival ever since the Big Bang. The parents in question were irresponsible, neglectful — at best, lazy. This myth lives on in the form of mommy-guilt. An all-too-typical mom recently told me that if she even sits down for a moment during the day to catch her breath, she almost immediately begins ...