Despite all the warnings about how adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, most kids yearn to become grown-ups. In fact, the typical child can’t wait to do grown-up stuff. Meanwhile, most parents yearn for the complete opposite. Many of us live in fear of the day our children enter the real world and secretly hope to stave it off for as long as possible. Oftentimes, the result is a standoff where kids want to be treated like adults while parents insist on treating them like children.
The good news is there’s room for compromise. There are several things parents can do to let their kids feel more grown-up without risking their health or wellbeing. The following are five easy examples:
Later bedtime
Remember when your parents raised your bedtime by one hour? Didn’t it make you feel more mature and grown-up? Talk with your partner about the possibility of doing the same for your child at some point. Parents can attach a later bedtime to added responsibility; failure to get chores done or similar violations results in revoking bedtime privileges. It’s a simple way to make kids feel more grown-up while still giving you plenty of evening time alone.
Decaffeinated coffee
Many kids associate coffee with adulthood. However, the caffeine content of a cup of coffee is more than enough to discourage even the most aloof parents from letting their kids have a sip. If your child is bugging you about drinking coffee, consider decaf coffee as an option. Chances are your child will find coffee too bitter and bold to enjoy, but if not, decaf will keep them from bouncing off the walls. It’s a good idea to have decaf in the house anyway to serve guests with caffeine sensitivity.
Start the car
Driving is another activity linked heavily to adulthood. While nobody under the legal driving age should ever operate a moving vehicle, it’s relatively safe for kids to start the engine when the car is parked. The experience of turning the key is more than enough to make the average youngster feel like they’re ready to take on the world. As they get older, consider letting them start the car unsupervised. Trusting them to do so on their own adds an extra layer of maturity and responsibility to the process. As a bonus, parents get to enjoy a pre-warmed car on cold mornings.
Plant care
Do you have one or more houseplants? If so, consider letting your child take part in taking care of them. Watering looks like a lot of fun to most kids, so start with having them do that. Let it be a lesson about the need to look after the wellbeing of living things in your care, whether plant, animal, or human. Explain the consequences of not watering enough or watering too much. It’s a relatively easy way to teach kids about responsibility while also helping them feel more grown-up.
Ask for their input
“What do you think?” These four words can mean the world to a child. It’s easy for adults to forget how kids feel left out of the world around them, but simply inquiring about their thoughts and opinions can be enough to make them feel more involved. What’s more, children can often be the source of true wisdom, albeit expressed in juvenile terms, making them worthy advisors in life.
Most children can’t wait to grow up, while most parents wish they’d stay kids forever. Those opposing forces have the potential to clash, but there’s also the possibility to strike a compromise. Parents can help their children feel more mature while still keeping them away from danger. In doing so, they help prepare their kids to become adults, which is the point of parenting in the first place.
