Tag Archives: Character

If We Want Our Children to Have Character Traits, We Need to Have Them First

I write often here about how important it is for us as parents to model behaviors for our kids—things like honesty and patience and empathy are all important personal traits that we can exhibit ourselves in order to help our children learn what is expected. But, I think there are all sorts of morals, ethics, and character strengths that we must first foster in ourselves if we have hopes that our children will grow up with these cherished traits. How can we teach something that we haven’t really learned ourselves? If children can learn negative and abusive behaviors in the … Continue reading →

Giving Kids the Freedom They Can Handle

I once received advice from a teacher of one of my children—I was volunteering in the classroom and we were chatting one day about some of her teaching philosophies and methods. She shared with me a tiny morsel of advice that I not only took to heart, but have also applied as a guiding philosophy in my parenting. She said that she thought we should give our children as much freedom as they could handle. And, with Independence Day coming up, I thought it might be appropriate to chat a bit about freedom here in the Parents blog. The tough … Continue reading →

Remember Learning to Share?

In the world I grew up in–and it wasn’t so very long ago, I’m only forty, after all– we had one television and two phone extensions (one in the kitchen and one in my parents room). These phones were connected to the wall completely (no portable or cordless). We didn’t have a computer and we had one household typewriter for doing those school papers. AND, we had one bathroom for three kids (horrors!) Somehow, we managed to grow up just fine without feeling deprived, and we learned how to share. In my little meager household now, we have 3 televisions, … Continue reading →

Teaching Kids the Responsibilities That Come With Freedom

Growing children have a natural tendency to believe that they are the center of the universe and that they have natural entitlements. I recently heard someone referring to my teenager’s generation as the generation of entitlements. With so much opportunity and stuff so readily available, it can be incredibly hard for modern parents to convey the responsibilities and sense of duty that go hand-in-hand with freedom, privileges and rights. Privileges and freedoms definitely come with responsibility and the need to have an understanding and appreciation for the realities of such freedom. For example, teaching our children the histories and reasons … Continue reading →

General Conference: “Let Us Be Men”

In his talk “Let Us Be Men” Elder D Todd Christofferson speaks of the importance of embracing the responsibilities of the priesthood and of life. He opens the story by sharing the story of his father sacrificing lunches for a year so that he could save enough money to buy his wife a machine to help her do the ironing. She had cancer and the surgery she underwent made if very painful to complete the ironing. Elder Christofferson points out that this sacrifice was the embodiment being a true man. He then goes on to share the admonition of Lehi … Continue reading →

The Big Impact of the Little Things

There are some many things good people do in their lives everyday they that probably do not even think about because these things are simply part of who they are. These things make up the character of the man or woman. What if this “good person” is a Christian? There are qualities of their character they should possess as a man or woman living for the Lord. These little things or qualities should be part of who the Christian man or woman is. These little things should come naturally (or eventually come naturally) to the Christian. These little things a … Continue reading →

Character Education Begins At Home

What is character education? Character education is the teaching of virtues. To many people the word virtue has an old-fashioned and negative connotation. Yet the lack of basic virtues is what is causing our society to crumble. Because children are not being taught character education in the home. Shouldn’t something with the word education in it be taught at school? Although character education is taught in schools it is not always the education that you want your child to receive. Plus if virtues are not reinforced and modeled at home the child will not exhibit good character, or positive virtues, … Continue reading →