Teaching Character to Your Kids
All parents want their children to mature into young responsible and productive adults. But what is the best strategy to ensure that is the case?
Well, besides reading and implementing the Sad Mad Glad Books, Shana Schutte looks at teaching your children character.
When I was an elementary school teacher, I wanted my 2nd grade students to understand the connection between bad behavior and consequences. So rather than tell them, "If you have bad behavior, there will be consequences" (which they'd probably heard a million times) I thought I would tell a clever story instead. So I used a little analogy of planting seeds. "If you plant bad seeds, you are going to get weeds. If you plant good seeds, you'll get a good crop."
Then, I said that it's the same way with doing the wrong thing — it's like planting bad seeds that will yield nasty weeds in our lives.
I had no idea if they understood what I'd said until the next week.
As I sped down the road on my way to school the following Monday, I battled inwardly. Yes, I know what the speed limit is in here, but I'm late and if I don't go fast, I won't get to school on time. I hoped no one would see me as I pushed the pedal to the medal.
