Responsibility (Part 2)

Mealtime battles offer parents a golden opportunity to teach children about responsibility, but the lesson begins long before your family sits down for dinner.

Gayleen Rabakukk

Wisdom

We make many decisions in our daily lives, and we hope they are the right ones. As parents, we hope that we’ve given our children the skills they need to make good decisions. When we apply truth to our daily decisions, it becomes wisdom.

Truthfulness

As a parent, you’ve probably noticed that our children are listening to us all the time, even (perhaps especially) when we’re talking to other people. This is just one reason why it is important for parents to be watchful of the truthfulness of what they say.

Tolerance

The seeds of tolerance are best sown early. Tolerance recognizes that everyone grows at his or her own pace and demonstrates different levels of maturity.

Friendship

The importance of friendships cannot be understated. While friendship is an intricate, complex equation that isn’t easily defined, focusing on a few character traits can pave the way toward better relationships.

Sensitivity

Sensitivity means using our senses to perceive the true attitudes and emotions of others. Teaching children to tune into the subtle clues conveyed in conversation gives them a valuable tool that will aid them in all aspects of their lives.

Security

The familiar story of the three little pigs illustrates the character trait of security. Like the pigs, the choices we make and the goals we focus on can make us feel content and secure or anxiety-ridden.

Responsibility

When you consider the many aspects of our daily lives, we all shoulder a great deal of responsibility, and as we take on more roles, the level of responsibility increases. As parents, one of our greatest responsibilities is to train, protect, and provide for our children.

Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness means making wise use of what others might overlook or discard. We can be resourceful in a number of areas, from using our time wisely to managing money well or making good use of the gifts we have been given.

Punctuality

While we may think of punctuality as simply a personal trait of being on time, promptness actually sends a strong statement to others about how much we value them. Punctuality shows esteem for other people and regard for their time.