Parenting Tips For Building Character In Children
2009 May 30 by: Scott
Raising children to develop strong character is an important part of parenting. Character building teaches children how to develop a moral and civic responsibility that leads to a stable social-emotional and acceptable human-being. Below are ten steps that parents need to consider while building character in children.
10 Steps to Raising Character Driven Child
1. Make Parenting Your First Priority
Parents are busy. We go to work, pay our bills, rush ourselves and other family members to activities, visit friends and relatives and yes, try to get some sleep. But none of this “busyness” is real parenting. Parenting involves the raising, teaching and nurturing of a child or children. One of the main roles of a parent is to provide a safe environment where a child has a chance to grow physically, emotionally and socially. It’s important that this environment allow a child an opportunity to build character. To often, however, we chose to make other activities in our live a higher priority; leaving parenting to the daycare centers, schools and activity leaders. Parenting is a privilege. Make it your first priority.
2. Review Your Parenting Week
Keep a journal and record the amount of time you spend talking with your child. The average parent spends less than seven minutes speaking with their child per day. There are 1440 minutes in a day. Eat a meal together, play a game, go for a walk, read a book out loud, plant a garden or do a craft or chore together. Put an “X” on a calendar each day you spend at least 30 minutes with your child. Spending time with your child helps build his or her character.
3. Be An Example of Good Character
We all know that our children are watching us. This does not mean that we need to be perfect. It means we need to strive to present the character that we want our children to display. As parents, we are the ones to demonstrate good manners, say “please” and “thank you”, open doors for others and apologize when we make mistakes.
