My greatest hope for your kids is for each of them become a “responsible” adult. I know, I know, every parent says that. But not every parent means it the way we at ScreamFree do. Most parents, when they say the word “responsible,” are trying to convey the idea of doing the right thing, or doing what you’re supposed to do. This is absolutely not what I want for your kids, though, because I believe “doing what you’re told” is not true responsibility.

The truest meaning of responsibility is to be response + able. I want your kids to be able to make a response. That’s why we need to give our kids more choices than commands. That’s why we need to resist the urge to tell them what to do all the time.

I would rather all kids learn to think for themselves about a situation and choose how they want to respond, even if they end up making a “bad” decision. That way they can learn from their mistakes, which is one of the central hallmarks of adulthood.

Peace begins with pause,