How to raise your children to be faithful and true to their principles?
Photo by Ekaterina Kartushina on Unsplash
Parenting is no easy task and taking it on is brave enough in itself! But apart from putting cute hats on babies and holding them until they fall asleep; parenting involves a lot of teaching. As a parent, you are preparing your offspring for the real world; and what they learn at home is what they will carry with them into school, friendships, relationships, and eventually the workplace and their adult life. This involves teaching them the difference between what is right and what is wrong, how important respecting themselves and others is, and the value of honesty in relationships (just to name a few). Family life sets the foundation for our kids to enter the real world and determines the basis of the person they will become.
As children, teenagers, and even sometimes young adults; we experience a strong desire to be accepted into a ‘group’ or clique. This innate human desire can lead to actions that are regretful and hurtful long term. In anticipation of this, as parents, we need to teach our little ones the value of not betraying their values and principles simply to gain the acceptance of other people. I have broken this down into 3 major contributing factors and teaching points.
Self-respect & internal value
Self-respect is vital to children growing up to be happy in and of themselves without external praise of approval. The most common (and vaguely sexist) notion is that teaching children self-respect to kids keeps girls off the stripper pole and boys away from gambling tables. However, there is much more to it than that. A child who knows their own worth it unlikely to betray their personal values or beliefs in order to seem ‘cool’ or to fit in. This child will more likely go to class rather than bunk off school because the “cool kids” are.
As Yolanda Wiggins, a mindfulness writer at State Of Writing and Paper Fellows, commented, “Self-respect and self-love will safeguard your kids in their pre-teen and teenage years much more than tracking them through Find-my-iPhone ever could.” Rather, they will be able to stand on their own two feet and not be swayed by the opinions of other people, making them less susceptible to peer pressure. Healthy self-esteem in kids is crucial to their growing up. I am not suggesting giving your kids an ego boost every five minutes, but rather reminding them that they are more than enough as they are and that you love them just the way they are.
Respect for others
Growing up, kids will find themselves in situations where there is conflict or disagreement. Taking sides, standing up for the victimized, or becoming the bully is all own to how they were raised. If you raise your children to keep in mind that every person and every life has value and importance; they will always stand up for someone who is being victimized or bullied, as they will see that action as a threat to their principles. Children who know the value of other people and of human life will almost always do the right thing in these scenarios, rather than bowing to peer pressure or to a bully.
The value of honesty
Honesty is a tricky one. Many kids start telling white lies to their parents as pre-teens, and if this is not addressed, it can snowball into a bigger issue that follows them for the rest of their lives. Terry Harris, a psychology writer at Lia Help and Oxessays, noted, “As they start growing into their adolescence, children feel pressure and temptation to life (especially to their parents). If this is not addressed; lying and hiding the truth can become a part of their identity as they become an adult.”
As a parent, you should be promoting and advertising honesty as the brave, right, and sometimes hard thing to do. Teach children that although it may be difficult, to tell the truth, and sometimes have short-term consequences; it is better, to be honest rather than suffer the long-term consequences of perpetual dishonesty.
These 3 examples are simply a jumping-off point for teaching values to your children and building a solid foundation for their principles as they grow up. I am certainly not proclaiming to have all the answers, but I did learn the hard way on some occasions. It is important as a parent to realize how vital and crucial your role is in shaping your child’s future success.
Author BIO
Lauren Gorff is an online learning consultant at Assignment Help and Academized. She is constantly traveling around the country for different projects. She enjoys writing about advancements in technology and the business world. She also writes articles for Essay Writer service.