We all want our children
to grow to be virtuous adults, but this doesn’t happen on its own. As parents, it is important that we are
consistently modeling virtue to our children.
There are some crucial things we can do as parents to help guide and
nurture integrity within our children.
1. BE THERE! Building
virtue in our children starts at home with parents loving one another and being
active in their children’s lives. It is
often a sacrifice to be present for your children. For example, cleaning the house or Monday
night football may need to be set aside to PLAY with your children and have one
on one time with them. Make it a goal to
have totally focused playtime with each of your children for 15 uninterrupted
minutes per day. For some of us parents,
this can be difficult but so worth the effort!
2. TRUTH! In a world of relativism, it can be hard to teach absolute
truth to your child. Show your child
that there is truth, and we can know it by doing simple exercises with
them. For example, explain natural laws
in the universe like the law of gravity by dropping an object on the floor.
3. MODEL VIRTUE! If you want your child to be a giving and unselfish adult,
model unselfishness by taking time to serve others in the community with your
child! This will have a profound impact
on their development and virtue!
4. HEROES! So many children today have heroes that are absent of
virtue. Share real heroes of history to
your children to help them identify a true hero!
