Raising a family in a society that is fast-paced and ever changing can make it confusing to know just
which values to teach your children. As a general rule, it’s up to you to teach your children what to believe, and how they should live their lives. But when it comes to teaching and instilling moral values, I’d love to pass on a few values to teach your children from a young age. These are simple and common everyday values that are quickly fading from our younger generation. Read on to discover what they are!
1. RESPECT
One of the most important values to teach your children is respect. Having worked in several daycare facilities, I’ve seen children who have no respect for authority at all. It’s exasperating to the teacher, and to the parent when they arrive to pick up their kids. By teaching your kids respect, you are doing the world, yourself, and your child a favor! Life will go much easier for them with a little respect under their hat.
2. OBEDIENCE
Obedience is something that doesn't come naturally, for any of us! It seems more “fun” to want to break the rules, doesn't it? Kids see it this way too, so you must be firm and consistent. You can reward good behavior to give your children incentive to be obedient. And be patient, sometimes this one takes a while to catch on!
3.POLITENESS
Remembering to say “please” and “thank you” isn’t a difficult task, but if kids are never taught or
reminded, they will never do it. As adults, we all know that sugar attracts more flies than vinegar! So start teaching these morals from the start and they will come naturally.
4.RESPONSIBILITY
Believe it or not, children can be taught responsibility from a young age! You don’t need to be overbearing about it, but giving your kids easy chores to do, like picking up their toys, putting away their clean laundry, or helping clear the table helps instill discipline and responsibility, two traits that will be helpful later on in life. Another way to teach responsibility is to make sure your kids brush their teeth or do their homework without being reminded
5. HUMILITY
I know this one may sound a little strange, but humility is an important aspect of life that we often overlook. Having humility has to do with not being prideful over accomplishments and achievements, but for children, it’s more about knowing to say they are sorry for acting up or doing something they shouldn’t. A good parent will always teach their child to apologize when they are wrong!
6. GOOD MANNERS
Good manners may not necessarily be a moral value per se, but you will find that for the most part, good manners are sorely lacking in the young people of today’s generation. It’s not always because the parent doesn’t teach the child, sometimes it can be due to other kids at school or daycare who have an influence on your child. Make sure to set a good example for manners at home and try to push through any influences that may be overshadowing your small one’s life.
7. FRIENDLINESS
You will find that friendliness comes naturally to most kids; it’s just their trusting nature! This is a good thing, but remember to keep a close eye on your little one and teach them the dangers of talking to strangers. Encourage friendliness and socializing when possible, this will help them down the road as they get older.
8. HONESTY
We’ve all heard it said, “Honesty is the best policy.” It’s as true today as it ever was! If you teach your children honesty from a small age, you won’t need to worry about it as they get older. One struggle that parents face is wondering how to deal with a child that will not tell the truth. If you start teaching honesty as a moral value right away, you will have no need to worry about it!
With my own sweet baby on the way, these are all moral values that I plan to teach my own child. We all have different styles of parenting, and each one is great in its own way. These morals will be helpful to your child as they become an adolescent, and on into adulthood. What moral values do you think are imperative to teach a small child?
