1. Consider Maturity Before Assigning Responsibilities
Giving a teen a responsibility she is not mature enough to handle is asking for trouble. Teens of the same age differ widely in maturity levels. While one 15-year old may be mature enough to handle a part-time job, another may not be able to manage it effectively. You need to adequately assess how mature your child is before shouldering her with a new responsibility. Also monitor how the teen handles an extra or more difficult responsibility in its early stages. This will help you decide whether to allow him to continue with it or modify or eliminate the responsibility altogether.
2. Start Small and Add More Responsibilities Gradually
Creating and assigning responsibility in small increments will benefit your teen. Start out small by asking her to handle such things as making a sibling's lunch or taking care of the laundry. As the teenager exhibits success in these smaller tasks, other larger responsibilities can be given. Allowing a licensed teen to drive herself back and forth to school is a big responsibility, and it can serve as a reward if she has proven herself capable in smaller arenas.
3. Intervene When Responsibilities Become Overwhelming
Occasionally, a parent must step in and help a teen with her responsibilities. This may involve accomplishing them together or taking certain responsibilities off of him entirely. A teenager has so much going on in his daily life that he can become overwhelmed. For instance, if she has excelled in competitive soccer but her grades are sinking, you may need to allow her to skip a practice or two to concentrate on her studies. In certain cases, she may need to drop a sport or extracurricular activity altogether. Stress that such an action is not "giving up" but is making a difficult choice based on priorities.
