Tweens of this era are commonly referred to as lazy, lacking personal responsibility, spoiled, and generally hard to handle. But mostly, a tween simply hasn’t been taught good work ethics that would make him a well-respected, highly energized, and goal-oriented person. Rather than assuming that a tween will just learn these things on his own, it might be time to teach him the important things in life like how to hold a job, how to be responsible for his own finances, and, above all else, how to be responsible for his own actions. Essentially it is the job of a parent to motivate a child and to teach him good work ethics that will take him far into his future.
Good Work Ethics Start at Home
Try setting up a regular chore schedule for a tween at home. Just like a small child, a kid between the ages of 9 and 12 needs to learn how to:
- Clean his room
- Put things in proper places
- Pick up clothes off the floor
- Do the dishes
- Mow the lawn
This is just to name a few chores he can handle. There is so much more. By starting a tween early, a parent can instill the value of hard work in which he earns privileges. Most tweens get some sort of allowance for hard work, but many professionals agree that good work ethics start with simply doing these chores because he is expected to, rather than because he earns money [Silver Spoon Kids: How Successful Parents Raise Responsible Children by Eileen Gallo, McGraw-Hill, December 2001].
By earning certain privileges such as more computer time, a later curfew on a weekend, or even simply praise from parents, a tween learns that good work ethics allow him a little more freedom and not just money.
Good Work Ethics in School
Teaching good work ethics also begins with school work. A tween should understand that he is expected to maintain the best grades that he can by paying attention in school, doing homework, and studying for tests. By offering special privileges for passing grades, he will also learn that the better he does in school the more he will be allowed to do or have.
Set regular homework and study periods to show a tween that in order to watch television or play outside he must spend the allotted time first attending to his own work. Adults have to finish work before coming home and watching television or playing games, and if a child understands this early-on, it will make the transition into adulthood much easier.
Time Management for Tweens
Learning how to manage time is also a large part of instilling good work ethics. Too often a tween may put off what he doesn’t want to do until the end of the night, leaving him with a rushed or hurried feeling. It is important that he learns to manage his time into small sections that allow him to feel more relaxed. For example, if a child has three tests to study for, teach him to spread the study time over several hours so that he doesn't feel overwhelmed with the amount of information he has to process and learn.
Time management now will help a tween later on when he is in high school, college, and then out in the real world. Knowing that he will always need to use time management techniques will get easier as he practices at a young age.
Giving a tween good work ethics really comes down to showing him by example. When parents have good work ethics then a child can learn more effectively. Also, by not handing him everything on a silver platter, it shows that a parent is holding the child responsible for his actions, even at this early age.
It is far more loving to instill good values in a child and be involved with everything in his life then to just give him things without working for it. Later in life when he works hard at his education, lands a great job, and has a successful career because of all the hard work he does, he will thank his parents for it.
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