A teacher friend of mine once asked me to bring my perspective as a new mom to her Family Living high school classes. Others on the panel of parents were more experienced, with children from Kindergarten to high school while I was a newby with an infant. Among many questions, we were all asked who we wanted our children to be when they were adults.
Being a new mother with feedings, changings, and the ever-present sleep deprivation, my brain had to switch gears as I answered this question. I was put on the spot to think about the long-term reason for bringing a child into this world and nurturing her to adulthood. As author Steven Covey wrote in his popular book, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, I had to think about “beginning with the end in mind” as I struggled to find an answer to this tough question.
The memory of this question and how it jolted me from my motherhood routine lingers with me, especially now as my husband and I have three teenagers in the house. Long-term, what do we want for our children? Who will they be when they are independent adults? Among the many answers to this important question, one is crucial to the success of our children: they should become people of good character.
MetroFamily Magazine continues its long-term commitment to helping families become more successful as families and raise children who value and demonstrate good character traits. Each month, our new column will focus on a different character trait, providing information for parents and hands-on activities for families to learn together about the trait and how to apply it in their daily lives. The traits we've written about are now on archived on this site for your convenience.
The information for this important new series comes from the Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization called the Character Training Institute (CTI) and is supported by the Character Council of Central Oklahoma.
Sarah Taylor, Publisher of MetroFamily Magazine