All parents want their children to grow up with healthy and admirable morals. They need to learn from a young age what’s right and wrong, and appropriate ways to behave in different situations. The chances are, you’re probably exploring moral values with your child without even realising it. Even teaching them to have good manners, remembering to say please and thank you, is a great place to start. However, if you want to take it one step further, an independent school in Buckinghamshire have shared some of the moral values you should focus on below.
Respect
Respect comes in many shapes and sizes. It could refer to how your child treats others, taking care of and respecting their belongings, or recognising and obeying the rules. Talk to your child about respect and ask them if they know what it means by encouraging them to share examples of both respectful and disrespectful behaviour. You should point it out to them too, so they become more familiar with the concept. For instance, if they lose their temper and start shouting out you, let them know that they are being disrespectful, and it will not be tolerated.
Explore the notion that people should be treated with equal measures of respect, regardless of their age, gender, race, and other things that make them different. Not only does this involve being open-minded and tolerant of their differences, but also being kind and polite to them at all times.
Determination
If you want your child to perform well in all walks of life, they will need to be determined. Try and teach your child the importance of not giving up in the face of a challenge. For instance, if they are struggling to learn a piece of music on their guitar and feel like quitting, remind them that practise makes perfect, and it won’t always be this difficult. Encourage them to keep their end goals in mind so that they have something to work towards.
Hard Work
Teach your child that nothing in life comes for free. Their toys, meals and days out are all a by-product of their parents’ hard work. There isn’t a magic fairy that washes and irons their clothes for them, that is you working hard to ensure they have nice things. Remind them that if they work hard, both at home and at school, good things will follow.
Optimism
Try and help your child adopt a positive attitude. When they say things like “I can’t do this”, remind them of what they are capable of and encourage them to change their mindset. If they make a mistake or fail at something, teach them that even grown-ups make mistakes and rather than dwelling on it, they must move forward with an optimistic approach.
Of course, actions speak louder than words, so you will need to lead by example when teaching your child important moral values. If you are rude to a waitress for getting your order wrong, your child will that’s an acceptable way to speak to people. If you complain a lot, or give up easily, your child will do the same. Focus on being a good role model and the rest will fall into place.