Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:47 — 2.5MB)

Situation: How do you know when to give your child more responsibility?

Parent Talk Tip: Diane Moore says that while parents have to guard their “pack leader” status in the home, at some point it’s time to relax and go back to the drawing board. A child who has a strong personality and is very articulate and intuitive may need to take on more responsibility and make more decisions. A strong leader looks at each individual child and sees where he or she needs different handling. “I’m going to have to give them power and responsibility,” a parent may say.

But Moore warns: If you give a child power without the responsibility that comes with it, your child will probably end with a case of DRA – dirty rotten attitude – the biggest problem parents face.

Diane Moore is a certified family life counselor and parent mentor with a private practice in Vancouver. Parent Talk is her radio talk show heard in Portland, Vancouver and Boise. Today’s tip comes from a conversation between Moore and one of the show’s callers. It has been edited for time.

Audio produced by Ed Stortro

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