Life Lessons to Instill In Your Child

Family/ Parenting - Raising Kids

By: vivasuzi 30-Sep-2011

Introduction:

Instill means to "Gradually but firmly establish an idea or attitude"... I looked it up to make sure I was using it right :) Nothing bothers me more than seeing a BAD kid and having his or her parents say there is nothing they can do about it. I don't believe any young kid is really BAD. I believe it's BAD parenting. Kids need to be taught these valuable life lessons slowly and gradually so they will grow up to be better people in the end. Sure all kids go through phases, have temper tantrums, or do something you don't like now-and-then. However, no parent should just assume their kid will learn these lessons on their own. Here are the top 5 things every parent needs to instill in their kids from day 1.

Manners

Please, Thank You and Excuse me should be words all kids learn from early on. Whenever my baby burps now, I tell her "say Excuse me". She can't talk yet but I know I am slowly instilling this lesson in her :) I see people who are impressed to hear a young kid say Please and Thank You. It should not be a surprise to hear a kid have manners - it should be the norm!

Sharing

This is probably one of the hardest lessons to teach young kids. Kids get new toys and new snacks, and the last thing they want to do is give them up to another kid. This may be a hard lesson to teach, but in the long run it will be worth it. Your kid may cry the first few times you make him give up a toy to share, but it's good to teach your kid to share and take turns.

Respect

I don't believe in the "respect ALL your elders" philosophy when teaching kids, because not all our elders deserve respect. I instead believe kids should be taught to respect those who respect them. Teach them to respect your wishes when you ask them to do something, like clean their room. If kids learn to respect you or those who watch over them, they are much more likely to listen and follow directions when asked.

Patience

We live in a world where so many things are so easy to get so quickly that some kids may never learn patience. That's why it's important to teach your kid patience from day 1. I'm not saying to let your 2 month old cry for 3 hours while you teach her patience. NO WAY! But letting a baby fuss for a few minutes while you take your time making her dinner will slowly teach her to be patient. I say to my baby "I'm making your dinner, it will be ready in 1 minute" and I continue talking to her while I do it, even if she's a little sad. Instead of rushing and panicking and trying to get it done so she'll instantly be satisfied, I move calmly and teach her to be patient. (But of course - jump to their needs if they are really upset! Just want to throw that out there :) )

Modesty

This is a character trait that seems to be going out the window as the years go by. Little kids run around in teeny tiny bikinis when they are only 1 year! I was raised to be modest and plan to instill that same value into my kids. Some people act like teaching modesty is a bad thing now-a-days, but I disagree. Teach your kid to be modest and have self-respect and you'll make it through their teenage years much easier :)

Final Thoughts

Kids learn by example, so make sure you are doing all of these things to! If your kid currently has an issue with any of these, don't assume that your kid will just "grow out of it". Kids don't grow out of it, they grow IN to it! Even better, don't wait until your kid already has bad habits, start now. Good luck!

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Comments

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dptstretch 7/12/2012
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Wonderful list and I completely agree. I think this is also true with respect to how kids view money...they learn from mom & dad. H5
dashboardc33 2/2/2012
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Very true list!
TigerStripes 9/30/2011
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Great topic and list! You are so right about parents being an example to their kids. H5!