This is where parents come in. Here are eight parents who refused to dump it all on the teachers and took matters into their own hands.
Teach Them to Sit With Those Sitting Alone – Mom to a Junior in High School
Gratitude, thoughtfulness and empathy can’t be taught in schools. One of my strongest childhood memories is that of my mother, teaching me to say ‘thank you’ on even the smallest of things. Today, I try my best to pass it on to my child. No gesture is seemingly small.
I had a friend in Kindergarten who would treat her toys like real people – she would take care of them, fix them and made sure to play with them all. Today, she runs an NGO for special needs children. That’s the beauty of young minds; they can be molded in any way we want.
Let’s teach our children to be thoughtful – have the courage to stand up to bullies, compassion to eat lunch with a kid who’s sitting alone and graciousness to treat elders with respect.
Who knows, maybe a small act of kindness can be a life changing experience for someone.
Teach Them to Be Kind – Father to a High School Senior
Award-winning, international best-selling author, L.R. Knost said: “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.”
Kindness is the greatest virtue of all and in a world filled with injustice and violence, it is now needed more than ever. Our children are our future may sound clichéd but it goes without saying that they’ll inherit this world from us. If we want to undo present day injustice and violence, we should instill the greatest virtue in them. This is our best bet against continuity, and generational failure.
Teach Them to Offer Their Help – Mom to a Kindergartener
What if your child is academically sound but socially awkward? Good grades do not guarantee a good life, so stop fooling yourself and inculcate human values that are enduring. In the real world, character will matter more than perfect grades.
Sadly we live in a time where there is a rise in narcissistic traits, so let’s move from the “me, myself and i” approach to “we, us and together”
Teach your child to look out for others and put common good above self interest. Helping others will boost your child’s self esteem which is more beneficial than grades in the long run. Your child will learn to develop relations and this can go a long way in making life more stable and happy. Teach your children to offer help as what goes, around comes around.
Teach Them to Be A Friend to the Lonely – Dad to a Kindergartener
A few months ago my four and a half year old told us that there is this new girl in her class who keeps on crying because she misses her mom.
We told her to look after her because she will be fine when she makes friends. It worked and they became friends after a few days. Now, they have moved on to the next grade and have become best friends.
My wife and I went to my daughter’s parents-teacher meeting and her teachers told us that every time a new kid joins the class, my daughter is the first one to go up to him/her and talk to them. That made me proud. 
Teach Them to Encourage Others – Mom to a Freshman
Encouragement is an important ingredient in any healthy relationship because it boosts self-esteem and self-worth. It also strengthens bonds. Children should be taught (or more aptly, encouraged) from an early age to encourage others around them.
A child who learns the importance of encouragement in a relationship grows up conscientious. It’ll be these children who will work actively to pick up their peers and then support them when they are in need. Individuals who encourage others are more selfless and more likely to inspire others.
The benefits of learning from a young age to be compassionate and helpful towards others are countless.
Teach Them to Think About Other People – Mom to a University Graduate
Do you want to raise great kids? Then focus less on their grades and achievements and more on developing empathy and kindness in them. Children are not good or bad by birth. They have to be taught morals and values. And you won’t find this in any textbook. This education will come from the environment they grow up in. Lead and teach by example. Practice honesty and fairness in front of them. Train them to step into other people’s shoes and look from their perspective. Give them opportunities to show empathy. And reward them when they do.
Teach Them to Look For the Good – Dad to a sophomore
“Looking for the good” is an oft stated adage which most people choose to ignore. The “Good” can be found in people as well as in situations and it can be used to improve perceptions of both. Children, especially, should be taught early on in life that no matter how hopeless a situation is, there is always a silver lining; more importantly, no matter how bad a person may seem, there is always some good in them waiting to be discovered.
In these times of uncertainty, insecurity and confusion, it falls on everybody, not just children, to look for the “Greater Good” around us.
Teach Them to Share – Dad to a special needs child
You should by all means take interest in your child’s academic performance but at the same time it is of utmost importance that you build their moral character as well. One way to do it is to teach them to share. Unfortunately, the world today has become a little dark and it seems like people no longer care for anyone anymore. We need to change that by teaching our future generations how to be kind and sympathetic to others. One random act of kindness can bring a smile on one’s face and we all have to take baby steps like sharing and acceptance to make the world more livable.
So the next time you decide to check up on your kids progress, ask their teachers how they are doing socially. Is your kid on track to become a decent member of society or just a number being added to the workforce?
As a bonus, here is a story of little Ela, a homeless man and her proud dad.
image credits: Scarymommy.com
