The News
I probably should have just turned a blind eye to the news today. Andrea Yates out of prison, teens on a shooting rampage at a gay bar, drugs sewed inside of puppies. So, I turned off the news and went to volunteer in my daughter's classroom, where I could bask in innocence for a few hours...
We cannot tell how our kids are going to turn out, but we can do our best to raise responsible, compassionate and conscientious kids.
Be involved!
As parents, we may need to set aside particular times or create special activities to teach our children certain things. But this isn't true when it comes to helping them learn about character. Everyday life is filled with opportunities for helping our children learn about the values we prize and want to encourage.
As you choose activities to use with your child, remember this thought: Teaching our children about character doesn't mean that we can't laugh or that we have to be grim. Our children should see that we can be serious about our values and principles and still play and have fun. In fact, you can teach a lot through play. And you can make games out of learning particular skills. We hope that you and your child enjoy these activities and that they inspire you to think of additional activities of your own.
Getting to Know Others—from Near and Far
Children need to be shown and taught that other people have feelings, beliefs and hopes, just as they do. Actually, we can learn a great deal from others, both in our families and neighborhoods and from other cultures, societies, religions and countries.
What to Do
Although we should teach our children to be tolerant and to behave respectfully toward other people, we should also make it clear that some people behave in ways that are harmful and that such behavior should not be tolerated.
• Show your child by your actions that you are interested in learning about and from other people. Let her know that you care about family by telling her interesting things about relatives, such as their hobbies or jobs. Let her see you being a friend to neighbors, store clerks, community workers and others. Let her see you reading books or watching TV shows and videos about people from other cultures, religions or countries. Talk with her about the interesting things you've learned from your reading and viewing. Invite people from other cultures or countries to your home.
• Visit the library with your child, and ask the librarian to help you choose books, videos, magazines and other materials that will help him learn about many different countries and people. Listen attentively when your child wants to tell you about things she has discovered about the geography, history, religion, music or art from other cultures and countries.
Be involved, stay involved and please comment here!
We cannot tell how our kids are going to turn out, but we can do our best to raise responsible, compassionate and conscientious kids.
Be involved!
Raising Responsible Children
As parents, we may need to set aside particular times or create special activities to teach our children certain things. But this isn't true when it comes to helping them learn about character. Everyday life is filled with opportunities for helping our children learn about the values we prize and want to encourage.
As you choose activities to use with your child, remember this thought: Teaching our children about character doesn't mean that we can't laugh or that we have to be grim. Our children should see that we can be serious about our values and principles and still play and have fun. In fact, you can teach a lot through play. And you can make games out of learning particular skills. We hope that you and your child enjoy these activities and that they inspire you to think of additional activities of your own.
Getting to Know Others—from Near and Far
Children need to be shown and taught that other people have feelings, beliefs and hopes, just as they do. Actually, we can learn a great deal from others, both in our families and neighborhoods and from other cultures, societies, religions and countries.
What to Do
Although we should teach our children to be tolerant and to behave respectfully toward other people, we should also make it clear that some people behave in ways that are harmful and that such behavior should not be tolerated.
• Show your child by your actions that you are interested in learning about and from other people. Let her know that you care about family by telling her interesting things about relatives, such as their hobbies or jobs. Let her see you being a friend to neighbors, store clerks, community workers and others. Let her see you reading books or watching TV shows and videos about people from other cultures, religions or countries. Talk with her about the interesting things you've learned from your reading and viewing. Invite people from other cultures or countries to your home.
• Visit the library with your child, and ask the librarian to help you choose books, videos, magazines and other materials that will help him learn about many different countries and people. Listen attentively when your child wants to tell you about things she has discovered about the geography, history, religion, music or art from other cultures and countries.
Be involved, stay involved and please comment here!
posted by McDougaller at 2:02 PM
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