Raising a child is tricky because what you teach them today is what they will be when they grow up. Therefore, parents need to be vigilant with what they preach to their child to ensure their kid becomes rich and successful and a good human being when they grow up. However, most parents are unaware of what they should teach their children.
Parents send their kids to school and assume they will learn everything there, but that’s not true. Jonah Engler emphasizes that a school may provide your child with education and teach language, numbers, science, and academic learning, but school teachers alone cannot teach your kid values. That is something only a parent can do best.
Parents want their children to have strong values when they grow to be adults but fail to teach them those values from an early age. Hence, we came up with this list of important values that every parent must teach their child from the get-go.
Jonah Engler’s 3 Values to Teach your Kid from an Early Age
1. Honesty and Integrity
Honesty is an important trait that takes you a long way. Kids usually tend to lie when they think they’ve made a mistake or when they are scared of getting scolded by their parents – but we as adults brush it off by calling it cute. And this is where we are wrong! If you don’t teach your child to be honest from the very beginning, they will develop this habit.
Make sure you teach them that it is okay no matter what they say or do, as long as they are honest about it. Discourage the lies and appreciate their honesty – instead of scolding them, give them a safe space to come clean and turn this into a healthy habit.
2. Respect
Respect is a value that everyone – be it children or adults must-have for other people. Guide your kid whenever you think they were disrespectful towards anyone. Make sure you explain that respect comes with no biases – they must respect people regardless of their age, gender, profession, or looks. This might be a complex concept to teach, but you can easily make them understand how to be respectful with time, attention, and by setting an example for them to follow.
Moreover, don’t forget you can only preach what you practice. If you are respectful towards other people, your kid will also learn to do the same irrespective of their background. Additionally, show respect to them as well, so they know what to follow.
3. Accountability and Responsibility
Accountability and responsibility are crucial values for anyone – especially children, and the two go hand in hand. If your child doesn’t understand accountability, they will never be able to take responsibility for their actions. And this will, in turn, make them ungrateful and unapologetic – which can be a very negative trait in their future.
You want your child to be grateful for you and their life – only then will they be able to lead a positive and happy life. Similarly, for them to build bonds in their life, they must learn how to apologize and take responsibility for their actions. Hence, you must start teaching them this value from an early age.
Takeaway
Jonah Engler believes children are a reflection of their parents, and if you want your kids to be good human beings when they grow up, you need to teach these essential values. And for that, you need to be a very attentive parent. We hope this guide was helpful for you; good luck with parenting!