北美考试教学中心 托福写作组 张晟凯

In the wake of the development of society, parents’ methods of educating children have become increasingly various. Among different characteristics that seem essential for kids, responsibility is regarded as one of the most difficult to teach. Recently, someone claims that letting children care for an animal is the best way to teach kids about being responsible. In my opinion, it is merely partly true.

Admittedly, having the children care for an animal indeed works to some extent. There is no doubt that an animal, especially a pet, is able to enhance children’s empathy, which is the basis of responsibility. More often than not, a puppy or a kitten does not possess the ability to look after themselves. In that case, children have to carry the ball. To take good care of a pet, a kid must learn to feed it on time, pick up its turds and keep it company. Obviously, this process is conducive to cultivating a sense of responsibility. However, there are some other good means to teach kids about being responsible besides having a pet.

Doing some household chores is effective as well. After all, one can never know how hard it is to do something if he does not try it himself. Thus, either directly or indirectly, kids are more likely to understand their parents’ pain by sweeping the floor, doing the dishes, and washing the clothes. Moreover, by doing housework with other family members, kids can feel that they are one part of the whole family, thereby learning to share some burdens. A negative example is my brother Jack. His parents spoiled him and never required him to do any housework. Jack gradually became aloof to his parents and refused to care about others, which is bound to result from his absence in household chores.

In addition, positive feedback is also indispensable for the formation of a sense of responsibility. Parents should keep strictly the rules for reward and punishment. Once the kids do something wrong, such as shirking their homework or refuse to admit their mistakes, they should be punished in a rather gentle way. Likewise, once the kids do the right things, such as attempting difficult tasks on their own initiative, they are supposed to be rewarded. Apparently, it is imperative to make children realize that they will be paid if they can take responsibility.

In conclusion, I still firmly believe that although letting children care for a pet is useful to cultivate a sense of responsibility, doing housework and giving positive feedback are also effective. I hope that parents could find their own appropriate way to educate their kids well.