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Teach Kids to Think, Discuss, and Build Character with 3 Easy Sentences
by: Jean Tracy. MSS
Do you ache to know if you’re parenting well? Have your kids gone underground with their thoughts and feelings? Do you feel cut-off?
The most important job you’ll ever have is parenting. To parent well, you need to know what your kids are thinking. If their thinking is crooked, their characters will be too. Let’s see how to straighten crooked thinking by viewing its power to create character.
Thinking Creates Character:
1. Thinking sways feelings.
2. Feelings sway behavior.
3. Thinking, feelings, and behavior create character
My toastmaster friend, Mike, presented a contest talk entitled “The Invisible Box.” With his arms extended, he drew an imaginary box about 7’ high and 3’ wide. Next he stepped inside and shut its invisible door. Mike said that too many people live inside their invisible boxes. How does this apply to your kids?
1. The invisible box is the place where they nurse their hurts and grudges.
2. The invisible box is the place where their negative attitudes fester.
3. The invisible box is the place where they make multiple excuses and hide.
Could this already be happening in your child’s mind? Certainly! What can you do? Listen for words like:
- Nobody likes me.
- I can’t do it.
- It’s too hard.
Suppose your child tried to make the select soccer team. Your child’s best friends made the team but the coach didn’t choose your child. Now your child shuts down, won’t go out to play, and steps into the invisible box. What can you do?
Discuss the Problem with Your Child and:
1. Probe gently. Find out what your child is thinking and feeling.
2. Listen carefully to what your child is saying and isn’t saying.
3. Appreciate your child’s best thoughts. Avoid denying his/her feelings.
4. No criticism. Empathize instead.
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