Hooray for Independence Day!

GreatAspirations

Week of July 5, 1998

Word Count: 676

It’s that special time of year for Americans...Independence Day. It is a day for family BBQ’s, picnics, and fireworks. It’s one of the rare times in our society that we come together and celebrate the fact that our forefathers fought to be independent, creative thinkers. It’s a day that we can be proud that our American ancestors stood up for their beliefs and were heard.

Look at George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and Ben Franklin--our country’s founders. They were independent thinkers, bold innovators and definite decision makers. Their aspirations--life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--were lofty; and they worked hard to achieve their goals. But, above all, they were informed and capable leaders who questioned established norms and made good choices to effect meaningful change. Can you imagine George, Tom, John and Ben just following the status quo? No way!

These great American heroes were inspired to be creative, speak their mind, and stand up for what they believed in. But, most importantly, they were independent thinkers. As the Dads of future great leaders, how can we promote decision making in our children?

Day to day, children have little opportunity to make their own judgements or choices. Kids are rarely allowed to choose what they watch on TV, eat for dinner, what time they go to bed, or even what clothes they wear. Parents do need to place guidelines for children to follow. But, if we want our children to be responsible leaders, we need to give them a chance to be decision makers--even if it’s only in small ways.

With decision making comes responsibility and with responsibility comes leadership. Here are some ideas that will promote leadership in your children:

Saucy Kids For a great exercise in the rewards of creative decision making, let your kids craft their own barbecue sauce. Take a bottle of ketchup, and divide it into 4 bowls. Give the kids different ingredients to add to each bowl to create 4 unique recipes. Go wild with: Brown sugar, raisins, maple syrup, molasses, or O.J.

Kid Navigators Hop in the car with the kids, a compass, and a road map marked with an "X" at the location of a fun kid place, like a video game arcade or an ice cream shop. The plan: You drive, and--using the navigation devices--your kids have to navigate you to the final destination. Start from your house and make sure they aren’t so familiar with the end location that they can guide you from memory. Follow their directions exactly. If they don’t get you there the first time, it’s OK. Stop. Show them your new location on the map, then try it again.

Earn It Budgeting To teach your kids responsibility with money, set up a small scale system of salaries and bill paying. Every week your child gets a list of duties, or chores, around the house. At the end of the week they get an allowance--and a "bill" for missed duties. For every chore they didn’t do, they have to give you back 25 cents from their allowance. And, for every month that all chores are done they get an allowance "raise" of 25 cents.

Ready Kids To promote lifelong responsibility, put your kids in charge of family fire safety. Together, read about fires and what precautions you should take should one occur. Then let your kids figure out an "emergency" plan for your household-- they can even run drills. Together, make a fireproof "family treasure box"--including a list of family belongings, birth certificates, insurance papers, and heirloom photographs.

We no longer need "tea parties" or revolutions to prove our independence. All we need is a chance to make decisions, and our kids need that same opportunity.. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether your children grow up to be like George, Tom, John or Ben, as long as they learn to make responsible choices. This is the first step toward "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Long live leadership!

(The Two Dads are Doug Hall, Director of Great Aspirations!, and Russ Quaglia, Child Aspirations Expert.)

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