In Bringing Up Parents: The Teenager’s Handbook, author Alex Packer suggests some ideas for developing good habits:

• Make a list of agreed-upon responsibilities. Make sure both you and your teen agree on who does what when. “There’ll be no question whether Tuesday is the night for dishes or rubbish,” Packer says.

• Come up with a schedule. If your teen tends to forget whether he has music lessons, athletic practice or a doctor’s appointment, he needs a weekly schedule.

• Write notes. This is why millions of yellow self-stick note pads are sold each year. If your teen doesn’t have the habit of writing notes and posting them in prominent places, teach her this survival skill.

• Do it now. A lot of irresponsibility, Packer says, “is good, old-fashioned forgetfulness.” The longer your teen puts something off, the greater the chance he’ll forget. Teach him to avoid procrastination.

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