Many children do not have the courage to talk about what’s worrying them, or express their feelings about the break-up of their parents’ relationship. By letting them know about their rights and responsibilities, you are giving them permission to ask questions, express their feelings about the separation or divorce, and speak up if they are feeling caught in the middle. It is also another opportunity for you to tell your children that they are loved and will be cared for, no matter what – things that they need to hear often from you.
Review the Rights & Responsibilities in the kids’ guide and the teen guide before discussing them with your children. Not only will this give you an opportunity to prepare for any questions they may have, but it serves a more important purpose: informing you about your children’s rights and what their responsibilities are.
As a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, and through his work with the African Union, the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, his home university, and Harvard Law, he continues to push for legal and policy changes to protect and nurture some of the world’s most vulnerable people — children.
“Worldwide, there are children caught in armed conflict, children without adequate food or education. There are 160 million child laborers, and no less than 15,000 children under the age of five who die of preventable diseases every day,” he says. “That is an indictment of the international community.”
Did you notice the similarity between the rights of your children and your own parental responsibilities? That is because one is dependent upon the other, just as in any child-parent relationship. For example, if you are tempted to criticize the other parent in front of your child, then you ignore your child’s right to not hear his or her parents say bad things about the other.
Being aware of your children’s rights and responsibilities, and how they connect to your responsibilities as a parent, is an important step on the path to rebuilding your family. It won’t always be easy to follow these responsibilities to the letter – you may stumble along the way – but keeping trying.
