Leading by Example
This week we discuss the best way to raise the kind of children you want. We're not talking about how to get you kids to behave, or how to make them stop fighting with their brothers. Those sort of things are pipe dreams. We are playing the long game and talking about how to turn your children into the kind of adults you want them to be by leading by example.
Children may be sponges of information, but the vast majority of things your kids learn is simply acquired through life. Reading them bedtime stories every night may help them learn to read faster, but it will not teach them good values. The absolute secret to raising good adults, is to be a good example. Kids don't like hypocrites. You can't tell your kids to always eat healthy when you go to McDonald's every day. You can't expect your kids to be respectful of others if you don't do it yourself. There are cases where maybe you explain to your kids that something you do is not good, and should not be imitated, but those instances should always be the exception, not the rule. Above all else, remember to be encouraging good behavior. Don't just congratulate your kids for a good football game or test score. Show them how proud you are when they help each other out, or even better when they do something nice for a stranger. You should do your best to remember to be a personal example of being a good person. After all, sports may not last, and academics is not a guarantee of real world success. But if you teach your kid to simply be a good person, you will truly be a far more successful parent.
Children may be sponges of information, but the vast majority of things your kids learn is simply acquired through life. Reading them bedtime stories every night may help them learn to read faster, but it will not teach them good values. The absolute secret to raising good adults, is to be a good example. Kids don't like hypocrites. You can't tell your kids to always eat healthy when you go to McDonald's every day. You can't expect your kids to be respectful of others if you don't do it yourself. There are cases where maybe you explain to your kids that something you do is not good, and should not be imitated, but those instances should always be the exception, not the rule. Above all else, remember to be encouraging good behavior. Don't just congratulate your kids for a good football game or test score. Show them how proud you are when they help each other out, or even better when they do something nice for a stranger. You should do your best to remember to be a personal example of being a good person. After all, sports may not last, and academics is not a guarantee of real world success. But if you teach your kid to simply be a good person, you will truly be a far more successful parent.
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