It is ‘value education’ time! Kids are unmolded clay shaped by their surroundings. What they see, hear affects their actions. It is impossible to change them when they set in their ways. So, it is better to teach them when there is still time. Here are some good values to teach your child.
- Empathy
What is empathy? When someone says, ‘I am sad,’ you say, ‘I understand if you need anything I am here for you.’ Thinking about others, taking their thoughts and feelings into consideration is the sign of a good human being. It helps us connect with people.
You need to teach your children the importance of empathy. Children will consciously think about their actions when they empathize. Empathy is not to be mistaken for sympathy (though one can understand the confusion). Empathy helps you connect with people. When you understand what they are going through, you can understand their situation better. Empathy is what prevents us from being selfish.
- Humanity
Our planet is a gift to everyone. It was never entitled to one single person or species. We are all in this together, let us behave accordingly. It doesn’t hurt to be kind. Humanity teaches us to show kindness to anyone and everyone around us. Our conscience remains unharmed when we are kind-hearted.
It is difficult to live with a disturbed conscience. Humanity keeps us from becoming savage creatures. A world without humanity, is not a world. To think of living in a world where people don’t care about each other or other things is daunting.
What goes around, comes around says the world. It may or may not be accurate, but I am not going to risk it here. Nor would I want my kids experimenting with it. You have to teach your child not to be more humane.
- Accepting mistakes
Accepting mistakes is a way to improve ourselves. Everybody makes mistakes. But what sets us apart is how we deal with it. You can ignore it, try to refute it, or accept it and make efforts to rectify it. The right answer is the latter. Acceptance is the key to solving all the problems. Teach your child that it is okay to make a mistake, but they need to acknowledge and work on it.
Learning this value starts from you. You have to lead by your actions here. If you make a mistake and apologize for it, they will learn themselves.
- Having a listening mode
In a world where everyone wants to speak, teach your child to listen too. Communication is a two-way bridge, where one speaks other listens then one listens and other talks. This value makes your child’s decisions sound.
A lot of misunderstandings can be avoided if you just listen to what the other person is saying. Talk with your child. Listen to them. Then tell your part. That is how communication works. It will also increase the bonding between you and your child.
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- Honesty
By being honest, you are doing yourself a favor. Honesty is the best policy because then, you don’t have to stress yourself over the intricate lies you have said.
But the million-dollar question is, how do you teach being honest? Step one: be honest yourself. Step two: no step two, step one is enough.
- Independence
Children need to make decisions for themselves. It is their life, and whatever they do, they have to face the consequences themselves. You need to let your children make their own decisions. Teach them to take responsibility for themselves. That means you let them have their own thinking process and respect their opinions.
- Respect food
A lot of effort has gone into a single morsel. Countless people have a share in bringing that food to you. So, it makes sense that you don’t waste it. It is not something you should take for granted. Children need to understand the importance of having hearty meals anytime they want.
To begin with, when they say they are done and can’t eat anymore, don’t force them to eat. Let children decide the portions of food that they want to have.
- Standing up for yourself
‘Good values to teach your child’ list is incomplete without this point. If they don’t stand up for themselves, no one else will. You need to teach your child that if they are facing a problem, they shouldn’t back down. You have to teach your children to not be afraid. Teach them to voice their opinions. They need to be heard.
- Positive attitude
A positive attitude does wonders for your perception of the world. Even a bad situation seems like an opportunity when you have a positive outlook. Teach your kid to stay positive. It will give them a way to face any adversity without letting it stress them out.
- Being thankful
Our life is a gift. You should not take it for granted. Be thankful for everything you have in life. Instead of cribbing about what you don’t have, try valuing what you have in life.
Now, teach this to your kids (Easy, isn’t it? Piece of cake). Teach them to appreciate the little things in life. Play the ‘I am thankful for’ game with them.
These were the good values to teach your child that are irrefutable. If you want to make your child an amazing human being, these values are inevitable. Your children are going to be the torch bearers in the future. They are going to have to be responsible here. The new world will be shaped by our children’s ideologies. Hence, it becomes our moral obligation to make them the best version of themselves. And, values are what will make them better human beings. Values are what define us as a person. They make us who we are. These values tell us what we will become. Moreover, these values protect us, our mind. They help us remain pure at heart, no matter what we may be facing.