Instilling Values: Children Learn What They Live
Instilling values into your children is one of the most important things parents do. Many parents, though, are not sure how to go about it. A key principle or philosophy to remember is: children learn what they live.
Here are some tips on instilling values with this philosophy in mind.
- Criticism
Psychologists say that kids who grow up with criticism tend to grow up condemning others. Most of us don’t want our kids to learn criticism of others as a value. So what can we do?
We’ve all had moments like this: Your child is playing, and accidentally knocks over something, say a cup of juice. You respond with exasperation and comment about his or her “clumsiness”. You may continue, lecturing your child on how not to be so clumsy while you clean up the mess, griping about how much trouble it is because you were right in the middle of fixing dinner.
If you could stop and rewind, it would be ideal to rewind to the place where you uttered the first critical comment. But if it pops out of your mouth before you can stop it (and that’s often how it works), then stop before continuing to criticize. Instead, apologize for the comment, assure your child that he is not clumsy, and point out that you’ve spilled things, too. He can help you clean it up, and instead of griping, cheerfully show him how easy it was to “correct” that mistake. No harm done.
- Prioritize Your Values
Is going to church important to you? Are exercise and fitness things you value? What about individuality and independence? Is it important to you that people be kind to each other? If so, prioritize these things. Let your child see what these values look like in action, and your child will be more likely to emulate what he sees you doing. Living your values is a sort of “how to” tutorial for your child, who may not otherwise know what living out these values looks like.
- Include Your Kids
Kids can feel alienated if their viewpoints, feelings, sensibilities, and opinions are seldom considered. Impress on your kids that their participation in the family is important and valuable. This helps them take their responsibilities to the family more seriously, especially if they feel appreciated.
If your kids are included in the joys as well as the responsibilities, it helps balance all those tasks that are necessary. Then they may be more likely to be actively contributing members of their own families and communities as adults. Again, children learn what they live.
