Humans are hardwired to strive towards progress, and parents are no exception. We all want to raise our children with a solid moral foundation, teach them important skills and values, and support them in becoming responsible, caring, and healthy adults.

The question is: how do you actually do that? Parenting is a tough job, especially because children are exposed to numerous influences, from media and the internet to their peers. For a parent, it can be challenging to guide them through this complex world. Here are a few ways you can teach your kids the art of respect, responsibility, and kindness.

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Use Fairy Tales to Teach Children about Morals

Storytelling has been used for thousands of years to pass on important lessons. Science suggests that fairy tales help children understand important messages in an easily digestible way. Literary heroes can serve as role models, providing a good moral compass.

The structure of many fairy tales includes a hero’s journey: a hero leaves home, steps out of their comfort zone, faces challenges, learns about themselves, and then returns. This pattern is wrapped in a vivid and exciting adventure story.

Even defining a moral lesson after a story can be beneficial. If your kids are a bit older, you can turn to inspirational biographies to encourage them to find role models outside the circle of modern pop culture.

See our page: Reading with Children for more.

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Encourage Them to Help Around the House

According to Piagetian Developmental Theory, young children go through a phase of egocentrism, where they are unable to see perspectives outside their own. The best way to raise a compassionate child is to show them good practice and encourage them to help. Depending on your child’s age, you can assign them appropriate chores.

Participating in chores helps with increasing independence. Children love feeling capable, even if it’s the simplest of tasks, such as feeding the dog or setting the table. By letting your children help, you are letting them learn the importance of providing support and giving them a chance to feel good about themselves. The feelings of self-pride and usefulness are positive ones that can induce future good deeds.

Some parents like to reward these efforts with money, but you can also use it for teaching your children two additional lessons: the value of money and the importance of helping the less fortunate by encouraging them to give some of their earnings to charity.

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Teach Children Respect for Others

Nurturing respect for others is one of the greatest values your child can learn. It is crucial to be a great role model and help your child pick up cues from your own personal behavior. This includes how you treat your spouse and parents, as well as other family members.

As a parent, you have to be fully aware that your child listens to and observes everything you do. This is why you need to control your behaviour: don’t let your anger and frustration show through yelling or violent actions, and nurture healthy and assertive communication. It is essential to help your child develop interpersonal skills.

Start a conversation about it. When it comes to respecting authorities (be it a teacher or a police officer), explain to your child that they should not feel oppressed, but must respect those who have more experience and wisdom.

By doing so, your child learns that the world has a certain structure and that there are hierarchies that need to be respected.

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Discuss Honesty and White Lies

The differences between white lies and harmful deceit are among the most complex things a child needs to comprehend. Lying or embellishing the truth is a part of navigating social situations; it is what can help us maintain good relationships with others and avoid unnecessary conflicts.

This doesn’t mean we should encourage our kids to lie, but rather teach them the difference between being brutally honest in a way that hurts someone's feelings and being tactfully genuine. According to a psychology expert, learning this distinction is an important social skill as children step into adulthood.

Kids can be incredibly bright as they are observational learners: this is why it is difficult to show them how crucial it is to be good and do well, despite the world proving bad guys do win sometimes. Follow these tips, ask for additional support from your surroundings and, most importantly, have faith in your parenting.

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Conclusion

The world we live in is filled with inconsistencies, which makes it even harder to explain the importance of values to your child. Unfortunately, today’s acts of kindness are sometimes treated as exceptions, instead of default behaviors. By using stories, encouraging helpfulness, teaching respect, and discussing honesty, you can provide a strong moral foundation for your child. Have faith in your parenting and stay consistent in the values you model.

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