“It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” – L. R. Knost
Amen!! The Proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is definitely true. Children watch and overhear everything. They take it all in whether it’s on the news, playing video games, watching a show or movie or merely observing others. After another school shooting and many discussions on how things need to change, this is what our family will implement.
We will…
- continue eating dinner together and talk, without the TV on.
- not watch violent TV shows and movies.
- teach him empathy, gratitude, and compassion.
- teach him to share.
- urge him to go outside to play and exercise his imagination.
- teach him manners and responsibility.
- do community service and Random Acts of Kindness together.
- teach him gun safety, that they aren’t toys, and to never point them at anyone.
- instruct him to communicate verbally, not through technology alone.
- teach him to be kind and courteous.
We want to teach him everything is not about him. How to appreciate the people and world around him, not the things we possess (another excellent reason to declutter). We want him to be a part of the solution to improve this world, not just complain about how things are. I know it’s going to take more than our family and community service to change everything, but we do not want to be part of the problem. My husband and I will be the best role models we can. All I know is that we need something to change, and we are trying our best to help.
What would you select to change? How will you achieve it?
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