Think about the first time someone ever trusted you with a key.
Perhaps you can remember the first time you got to carry your own key to your house, and the feeling that flooded through your body was probably one of pride because you had your own key. The subconscious of that young person recognized, that with the possession of a key came responsibility, and the fact that someone trusted you enough – or thought you had the responsibility that it took – to allow you to have a key to the house, made you feel good.
When teaching our children responsibility, we use the following definition:
RESPONSIBILITY: The courage to take something the way it is, and to TAKE CARE OF IT according to its good.
CharactersofCourage.com
Each word in the Code of Conduct taught to my children has an object and an animal that represent it. Responsibility is a key. Think about it this way, as I personify a key using its natural responsibility:
THAT’S THE KEY!
CharactersofCourage.com
A key has the ability to take care of things in your possession. It turns just as well securing things that are borrowed, as with your own belongings. And it doesn’t abandon its duty because its feelings are hurt, nor does it neglect to secure its objects from a desire to protect itself. It doesn’t stray from its responsibility because of an outside distraction – be it other keys, a more exciting treasure chest, or something shiny. A key’s whole purpose is to take care of the objects that are placed, left, or chosen to be in its possession.
Responsibility – “Take Care of It!”
If you look closely at the words of that ‘poem’ you will see aspects of life that are real issues when it comes to responsibility. Hopefully it is apparent to you that it would be appropriate for a key, if it had the ability to choose, to do (or not do, depending on the line) exactly what is stated there.
Don’t look at responsibility as a chore. It is a privilege. Remember feeling a sense of pride because someone thought that you had what it took to be given the responsibility of a key? Well guess what? Someone thinks you have what it takes to be given the responsibility of a child. And that Someone doesn’t make mistakes!