Being reliable is always fashionable.

Am I Confiavel ? It’s an excellent query. I wish more youngsters would ask themselves that question.

Today, I’m writing for younger pre-teen and teen readers who might be wondering why their parents (even step-dads like me), instructors, or peers don’t think highly of them. For those of you who may recall, the 1950 movie “Am I Trustworthy?” was a throwback to the time of “Leave It to Beaver,” when family values like respect, honesty, and responsibility were highly valued.

Behind those warm, loving faces, however rarely or never depicted on television, was the anxiety of “what’s-going-to-happen-now.” Parents only only to “look” at the kids, and they would immediately respond—or run away. Ah, those were the days. I clearly recall them. The identical look from a parent is now met with a dismissive, “So, what are you going to do about it” glare from a child who is becoming more and more rebellious.

Exactly!

What can parents of today do?

I have a great deal of trouble with this as a relatively new step-dad. Oh, I have a number of solutions for challenging parenting circumstances in 2005 BK (before kids). I’ll be the first to confess that being a parent is by far the hardest job there is. It’s the most difficult undertaking I’ve ever undertaken, at least for me.

I’ve realised that the only things I can do to help my pre-teen are teach, guide, and explain after a few days of battling with her. Additionally, I have to be the lighthouse to guide my child back when she eventually wanders off the path. I have to approach everything without bias.

Did I mention that being a parent is the hardest thing I’ve ever done?

Therefore, finding material like the vintage film “Am I Trustworthy” and sharing it with my girls—no matter how stale and out-of-date it may be—is a component of my educating, leading, and communicating. “Am I Trustworthy?” has a timeless and priceless message. I’m hoping you’ll find it valuable enough to pass it along to your family as well.

According to the video, there are only four essential topics that must be covered in order to be reliable. Parents today may undoubtedly think of hundreds more to stay up with our society’s rapid advancement. But much like in the good old days, I try to keep things straightforward when I’m teaching.

The four primary ideas from “Am I Trustworthy?” are listed below.

Be Fair in Your Wordplay.
Perform well
Be on time and keep your word if you want to be taken seriously.
You must honour your commitments if you want to be believed. I think that most children desire to do this. In the case of my stepdaughter, she is a people-pleaser and frequently says things that she believes her mother and I want to hear. She is unaware of the negative effects of overcommitting, though. Before you know it, she is drowning in obligations she is unable to fulfil.

The obligations of their children, such as their homework and extracurricular activities, must be monitored by parents. Over the course of my more than 37 years as a private music instructor, I’ve encountered a fair share of parents who unintentionally overcommit their children for a variety of reasons, including “enrichment,” “to keep them from being lazy,” or “to gain a school credit.” Rarely do parents sign their kids up for classes because “the kid LOVES it.”

Really sad!

Spare time is a highly uncommon, and regrettably, more frequently nonexistent, commodity for today’s kids due to ever-increasing responsibilities and intense competition to achieve at school. The amount of times my girls go outside to play with their friends informally (unstructuredly) each month can be counted on two fingers. I don’t even need that many fingers most of the time. Simply said, there isn’t enough time!

My challenge to my stepdaughter would be to be honest with her mother and me about what she can manage and what has to go in order to have a balanced but well-rounded life.

By creating timetables that the kids can really follow, parents may go a long way in encouraging their children to keep their word.

You Must Play Fairly if You Want to Be Trusted

Fair is the middle name of my stepdaughter, who deserves all the credit. I’d even go so far as to claim that she is excessively fair.

For instance, she believes it is fair to occasionally let the other player win in competitive sports. I’ve watched her go stride for stride with her friend all the way to the finish line in cross-country, but she always lets her friend cross first because it’s only fair!

She is actually adored by everyone due to her innate desire to please people and her love of positivity. Is she reliable in this regard? Oh, yes. I need to be more thorough with my notes and use her example to better my own life.

Kids don’t just play fairly in the world of games and sports. Children may start to lose their belief in authority when they replicate other people’s homework and cheat on tests.

You Need To Work Hard If You Want To Be Trustworthy

Performing well is one thing. Perfectionism is something else entirely. Perfectionism negatively impacts your reliability and punctuality. I am aware of this since it affects our home. My stepdaughter is quite talented. She is the best student in her class. Once a week, she attends gifted class. She is also my best student for private piano lessons.

She turns a five-minute task into a five-day marathon due to her perfectionism, and I’m not exaggerating. Then other obligations and tasks are postponed or ignored totally, which ignites the family pyrotechnics once again.

Did I mention that being a parent is the hardest thing I’ve ever done?

I will advise my stepdaughter to: “Do your best at all times, but understand that perfection is never possible. Everything you do can always be made better. Recognize when a product’s quality is adequate. then be able to leave it feeling satisfied.”

You Must Be Reliable If You Want to Be Trusted

The big deal in our house is this. I am a time freak. My schedule is incredibly organised. A dependable, well-organized schedule is what I thrive on. My three females are completely at odds with one another. They joyfully fly from flower to flower, completely disregarding the passing of time. We argue. On occasion, we burn. They don’t, that’s incorrect—I do! Just thinking about that has me getting hot.

Did I mention that being a parent is the hardest thing I’ve ever done?

Being punctual is thus one of the most important things you can do to establish your credibility. Be present when you said you would be and where you said you would be. Keeping your word and doing so go hand in hand.

Let me take it a step farther. My stepdaughter hears me say, “It’s OK to be early!” Time. Such a small thing, really. What’s the big deal, then? Well, occasionally, a split second can mean the difference between success and failure. In sports, we frequently witness this. I view athletics as a life metaphor. For a split second, you’re late. Whether you are late by a nanosecond or an hour, you are still late.

I recently lost the chance to pay a very inexpensive one-time charge for a LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP. In actuality, it was less expensive than the standard monthly rate for this particular service. Over the years that I have used this service, I would have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of money if this had been the case.

It’s all my fault for missing the deadline.
I neglected to read my email.
I was unaware of the scope of the offer.
I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t.
Excuses!
Garbage!
I WAS EARLY.

This is just one instance of how being late cost me a lot of money. That is the lesson I want to convey to all the women in my life, especially to my preteen stepdaughter. “One of the best ways to establish your reliability is to ALWAYS BE ON TIME. It might also spare you a great deal of money or shame!”

There you have it, everyone. I’m hoping that parents (and stepparents) will tell their kids about this article. Keep in mind that our responsibility is to explain, lead, and teach without passing judgement.

We appreciate you reading thus far, preteens and teens. You will be able to say, “I AM TRUSTWORTHY,” if you heed the counsel offered in the film and this message, I can assure you of that.