Being a parent means constantly imparting wisdom onto your kids. Being who they are, your kids may need regular reinforcement of these important lessons. You can also employ other adults of influence in your child’s life, including their aunts, uncles and grandparents. As you raise your children, keep these four important lessons in mind. Raising children is not an easy task, but it is definitely worth it.
Tell the Truth
Honesty is one of the most important life lessons to teach your child. Teaching honesty should start from an early age, beginning when your child tries to deflect blame for performing a naughty or prohibited activity. For example, if your child took a sibling’s toy without permission, this is a time to teach honesty. You can set an example by always being honest with your children when they ask questions. Honesty is literally always the best policy. If everyone told the truth more often, the world would be such a better place.
Keep Away From Violence
From a young age, many children act out physically. You can teach your kids to use words instead of their hands when they are angry. This lesson will need ongoing reinforcement, especially as your kids get older. Also encourage your kids to avoid friends who are violent, to report any violence from their boyfriends or girlfriends and to report any bullying to school personnel and to you. Some people say drugs are a big problem in society, but violence is much more serious. Taking away someone’s civil liberties by being violent towards them is not only un-American, it’s inhuman. Man naturally does not want to fight or cause a problem, despite being a social animal.
Stay Away From Alcohol
For many school-aged kids and teenagers, there is a temptation to try alcohol. Many parents keep alcoholic drinks in stock in the home, and kids see their parents having a great time while partaking of an adult beverage. Now is the time to teach your kids about the effects of alcohol, including addiction, alcohol poisoning, and the effects of chronic alcohol abuse. Professionals, like those at Hart Law Offices, PC, realizes that you should also explain that alcohol can lead to a DUI, which has lifelong impacts. Avoiding alcohol will help your kids to avoid a DUI.
Avoiding Cigarettes
Nicotine has been found to be one of the most addictive substances on Earth. Smoking a single cigarette could cause your child to become a smoker. Teach your kids about the effects of cigarettes. Show them pictures of lungs filled with tar. Explain the aesthetic changes in smokers, such as bad breath, yellow teeth, wrinkled skin and hoarse voices. Tobacco is one of the worst substances to ingest in any form. Nicotine causes so many health problems for so many people. Also, it’s ripoff to spend money on any form of tobacco. Tobacco companies are evil, and everyone knows it.
Your child will face many temptations. These temptations will increase with age and exposure to peer pressure. By starting early and being consistent with your conversations and examples, you can help your child to avoid trouble with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, violence and dishonesty. These lessons will help your child to establish a solid foundation of upstanding behavior to last throughout their adulthood.
