Todays Parents Now

Teaching your children values will help them make good choices in their lives. Today’s world is ever changing and very fast paced. In years past children grew up in a small community or with just their families and their challenges were much different. As a parent your influence over your children has been diminished and so you need to try extra hard to instill good values in them.

1. What values are important to you? Your values determine what kind of clothes you buy, how you spend your money and even where you live. You must determine what values are important to you.

2. Do you want your children patterning you? Your children will take on many of your values by watching you. When you see a value your child is developing does it make you feel uncomfortable? Is this a value you have that you do not like? Now is the time to change our values into what we want our children to adopt.

3. Here are some questions to help determine what your values are. Do you feel people are poor because they are lazy or because we all have different opportunities. If your weekend was suddenly cleared, what would you do? If you found $10,000 would you pay off debt or would you find someone in need and give it to them. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions but they can help us understand our individual values.

4. A monthly family meeting is very helpful. Set some time a side each month where you can meet with your children without any distractions. Discuss your values and the events in your life that helped you frame them. Ask your children about their values and the reasons behind them.

5. One value each month. Each month focus on a single value. It can be anything from character building to goal setting. The important thing is that your children have the opportunity to tell you what they think of it. By doing this your children will feel like they are part of the process and will appreciate your willingness to hear different perspectives.

Children will develop many values by watching us as parents. You need to make sure that the values they are adopting are ones you approve of. The best way to do this is to first determine what your core values are. After this you can try having a monthly meeting where you and your children can discuss different values.