What qualities do we intend to model for our children?
What qualities do we teach our children and which ones do we want them to value most? Why do we do that? What are the cultural values we wish to modify or change for the next generation?
Too many times, we advise our children to be kind, to listen to us as parents, to be nice to their friends, to be generous to their siblings, and so on. What about the intra personal qualities, for instance, being kind to themselves and valuing their own sense of belonging?
Many parents wonder which are the appropriate qualities we can teach our children. I think we have to provide them with a balanced weight of qualities and values including some of the following:
Friendliness, Cautiousness, Openness, Discretion, Generosity, Frugality, Warmth, Rationality
Experiencing excitement, A sense of calmness, Strength of character, Self-assurance/Self-esteem/Self-confidence
Dependability, Independence, Honesty, Integrity, Sincerity, Trustworthiness
Orderliness, Dealing with rejection, Reliability, Developing their own ideals
And Self-control.
Now, back to the original question: which one of these qualities do we teach our children? I think we need to define each quality based on our children’s personalities and abilities.
It is good to have it all, but it is not easy to balance all these things, and having balance in every aspect of life means having a healthy mind!
So, where do we go from here?
May 10, 2007
www.middlepeace.com
