As parents, we make countless decisions about what is best for our children throughout their lives.
As the saying goes, there is no manual, and we can only hope that our choices are truly for the best, and that our kids will grow to make wise choices of their own, guided by what we hope is our wisdom.
Of course, what is wise and true for one family may be heresy in another, and as our kids go out end explore life,make new friends and are exposed to other cultures and mindsets, we cannot always be there.
Our ideas come, in turn, from our own families combined with our unique set of experiences.
How can we know that we are doing what is best for our children? Some ideas follow: Tolerance: One gift we can give our own children and everybody else's is the gift of tolerance.
We can learn from each other when we take the time to understand, and teaching our children that we are all precious and important is a good first step.
Your child can avoid prejudice and closed mindedness, making a variety of friends and enjoying a rich world of experiences.
In this way, their choices will be more informed as well as more compassionate.
Big picture thinking: While it's tempting to want to have our kids as friends, as parents we cannot always be popular if we want to truly teach our kids valuable, lasting lessons.
Giving in is not the same as compromising, and the things kids need to learn do not always come easily.
Values and skills such as integrity, honesty, empathy and big-picture thinking are best learned by demonstration.
If your child does not understand right now why they cannot have Facebook or a cell.
phone, as they grow into responsible adults they will look back and appreciate your loving guidance, and it will inform their future choices.
Education: When in doubt, educate yourself.
Even the most stubborn parents can hopefully admit that children need to have open minds, and to learn as much as possible about a given subject before making a decision.
Instilling a love of learning and a desire to be informed is an important step in nurturing a child who will grow into a wise and intelligent adult.
From earliest childhood to post-secondary education, teaching your child to value input and education is a key step in doing what is best for them and everyone they will touch throughout their lives.
Critical thinking: Along with education and tolerance comes, hopefully, discernment.
We all know that our teachers are not always the best role models, as much as they try hard.
Excellent teachers seem to be rare, and our kids do not always get encouraged to be their best, to explore all facets of their personalities, and to develop their creativity and talents.
In spite of our public schools' tendency to train kids to follow instead of lead, we can help our kids to think creatively and to just think, period.
Making one's own decisions and not just following the crowd is a key skill in becoming financially independent, as 'Millionaire Mind' author Dr.
Thomas Stanley tells us.
Give your kids a head start and let them be their full, unique selves by teaching them to question things and to come up with their own creative solutions when faced with challenges or when things are not working.
As the saying goes, there is no manual, and we can only hope that our choices are truly for the best, and that our kids will grow to make wise choices of their own, guided by what we hope is our wisdom.
Of course, what is wise and true for one family may be heresy in another, and as our kids go out end explore life,make new friends and are exposed to other cultures and mindsets, we cannot always be there.
Our ideas come, in turn, from our own families combined with our unique set of experiences.
How can we know that we are doing what is best for our children? Some ideas follow: Tolerance: One gift we can give our own children and everybody else's is the gift of tolerance.
We can learn from each other when we take the time to understand, and teaching our children that we are all precious and important is a good first step.
Your child can avoid prejudice and closed mindedness, making a variety of friends and enjoying a rich world of experiences.
In this way, their choices will be more informed as well as more compassionate.
Big picture thinking: While it's tempting to want to have our kids as friends, as parents we cannot always be popular if we want to truly teach our kids valuable, lasting lessons.
Giving in is not the same as compromising, and the things kids need to learn do not always come easily.
Values and skills such as integrity, honesty, empathy and big-picture thinking are best learned by demonstration.
If your child does not understand right now why they cannot have Facebook or a cell.
phone, as they grow into responsible adults they will look back and appreciate your loving guidance, and it will inform their future choices.
Education: When in doubt, educate yourself.
Even the most stubborn parents can hopefully admit that children need to have open minds, and to learn as much as possible about a given subject before making a decision.
Instilling a love of learning and a desire to be informed is an important step in nurturing a child who will grow into a wise and intelligent adult.
From earliest childhood to post-secondary education, teaching your child to value input and education is a key step in doing what is best for them and everyone they will touch throughout their lives.
Critical thinking: Along with education and tolerance comes, hopefully, discernment.
We all know that our teachers are not always the best role models, as much as they try hard.
Excellent teachers seem to be rare, and our kids do not always get encouraged to be their best, to explore all facets of their personalities, and to develop their creativity and talents.
In spite of our public schools' tendency to train kids to follow instead of lead, we can help our kids to think creatively and to just think, period.
Making one's own decisions and not just following the crowd is a key skill in becoming financially independent, as 'Millionaire Mind' author Dr.
Thomas Stanley tells us.
Give your kids a head start and let them be their full, unique selves by teaching them to question things and to come up with their own creative solutions when faced with challenges or when things are not working.