"The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise." --Alden Nowlan
5 Ways Parents Can Teach Their Kids To Forgive
"As parents, we must teach our children the realities of life. Life hurts us, people hurt us, we hurt other people and we hurt ourselves. That is what relationships and life are about. The sooner we let our children in on this secret, the healthier their life-approach will be. We must teach that life is not built to be fair. The relationships our children have will, for certain, be their greatest teachers of love and pain. They will never need to use forgiveness more than in their relationships. Forgiveness is many things -- but we also must teach that forgiveness doesn't always mean reconciliation. It is not about condoning harms which have been done. Forgiveness is about taking power back." [Read more]
Reading Corner
Title: Because of Winn Dixie
By: Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 9-12
Why: "One summer day, Opal goes into a supermarket and comes out with a scraggly dog that she names Winn-Dixie. Because of Winn-Dixie, her preacher father finally tells her ten things about her absentee mother, and Opal makes lots of unusual friends in her quirky Florida town. And because of Winn-Dixie, Opal grows to learn that friendship -- and forgiveness -- can sneak up on you like a sudden storm." -- A Mighty Girl.com review
By: Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 9-12
Why: "One summer day, Opal goes into a supermarket and comes out with a scraggly dog that she names Winn-Dixie. Because of Winn-Dixie, her preacher father finally tells her ten things about her absentee mother, and Opal makes lots of unusual friends in her quirky Florida town. And because of Winn-Dixie, Opal grows to learn that friendship -- and forgiveness -- can sneak up on you like a sudden storm." -- A Mighty Girl.com review
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be the Change
Talk with your child about things that have hurt. Listen deeply and help your child process the emotions that result in order to be able to walk a path toward forgiveness. Look with your child for the silver lining and how that bad experience might have made him/her stronger for the future.
