Character and Kids

Are your kids on the right path to good character? Did you know that our Newsletters offer ideas and free resources to support you? It's true! If you're a parent, guardian, educator or member of the community, YOU are a role model first and our children look up to you.

All the while as we raised our now adult kids, I always had in the back of mind that if I did something horrific our kids would find out about it! Never once did I think that if I did something grand they would find out about it? Think about this. Our kids and those we surround our self with are listening to our conversations, our actions and our behaviors. Others learn from who we are and therefore, it's so important to be our best, try our best and to do our best!

My favorite quote is by Benjamin Franklin; TELL me and I forget, TEACH me and I remember, INVOLVE me and I learn. Something else to think about. When you TELL your child or student something, is it demanding, is it in a derogatory tone of voice or is it said with a welcoming approach so that they will listen to and respect your words? I'll ask the same when you TEACH your child are you using demanding tones or engaging ones? Nobody wants to be TOLD WHAT TO DO! Being intentional in conversations with our children and youth will develop stronger communication skills. This I learned the hard way! When our daughter was younger, she had told me she was going to be late, where she was going and who she was with. When her curfew came around and she was not home I panicked, then became angry. It was through no fault of my own that this happened because I was listening to her, but I was not listening. There was no eye contact or focus on my part. Shame on me, I know! It did teach me a lesson to be intentional and to listen when someone is speaking to me. Eye contact is important, as we clear our throat to speak, we should clear our thoughts when we listen. This has been extremely beneficial in my life! And so now, when we speak of INVOLVE me, you're doing just that. When you involve your child in a conversation or an activity you are being intentional about spending time with them, intentional to tell them how something can be accomplished and intentional about teaching them the task at hand. This is why the above is my favorite quotes.

When raising our children or teaching our students, it's important to TELL, TEACH and INVOLVE them. Try to remember the next time you expect good behaviors from your children, are you TELLING them to BEHAVE or are you TEACHING them to BEHAVE? Are you INVOLVING them in a discussion or project? Here are a few suggestions:

1. TELL (Discuss) your child or student what is expected, what is happening and what is the end goal on anything.

2. TEACH your child or student what the lesson is about. Be a role model. Allow them to ask questions so they understand the assignment no matter how big or how small, it's important to them.

3. INVOLVE your child or student in the process of any project. This allows them to learn, to discover and to grow.

All of this is true when expecting good character from your child or student. As always, encouragement goes a long way! Our technique to engage them goes a long way, meaning DO NOT YELL or PREACH, it's up to you to discover the best way to get your message across and to build a firm foundation for your children. A firm foundation will build good behavior with Behavior Bear. A firm foundation will build perseverance with Do'er Duck. A firm foundation will build healthy habits with Healthy Hippo. A firm foundation will build lasting friendships with Friendship Frog. A firm foundation will build good manners with Manners Monkey. A firm foundation will build respect with Respectful Rabbit. A firm foundation will build better understandings of being responsible with Responsible Rabbit. A firm foundation will build confidence with Self-Esteem Elephant and a firm foundation will build empathy and kindness with Warm-Hearted Walrus.

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