May 06, 2023

Quote of the Week

"Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." - James Baldwin

15 Ways To Raise A Child With Great Values

"Some psychologists think values are impossible to teach, and it is certainly true that telling kids to be more honest, or diligent, or considerate, doesn’t work any better than telling adults to be. But if values are impossible to teach, they are too important to leave to chance.

In recent years, some schools have tried to add moral development to their curriculum. But schools have a tough time teaching kids values because they intervene too late, not to mention in too much isolation from the rest of the child’s life. Worse yet, they are often at odds with what the child is learning at home about values.

Because the truth, of course, is that we do teach values to kids, daily, every minute of their lives. The question isn’t whether to teach values, only WHAT we are teaching.

"But how do kids learn values, then?" The way children learn values, simply put, is by observing what you do, and drawing conclusions about what you think is important in life. Regardless of what you consciously teach them, your children will emerge from childhood with clear views on what their parents really value, and with a well developed value system of their own."

This week's featured article from Aha Parenting shares tips on how we can share our values with our children in effective ways.

Reading Corner

Title: The Family Virtues Guide
By: Linda Kavelin Popov
Parenting Stage: Kids 3-16

"Bring compassion, generosity, and kindness into your home with this essential interfaith parenting guide to raising kids in a virtuous and spiritual household, with week-by-week strategies for living your best lives.

The most important job parents have is to pass basic virtues on to their children, and this invaluable book is designed to help make that job a little easier. Compiled by The Virtues Project, an international organization dedicated to inspiring spiritual growth in young and old alike, this multicultural, interfaith handbook shows parents and teachers how to turn words into actions and ideals into realities.

Drawn from the world's religions, the 52 virtues included here--one for each week of the year--nurture togetherness in family life. The simple strategies, which explain what a virtue is, how to practice it, and signs of success, will engage children of all ages in an exciting process of growth and discovery." -- Publisher

Be the Change

This week's featured article recommends ways we can share our values with our children -- choose a few which resonate with you, and commit to exploring them with the children in your life.