Model it , expect it, and enforce it! Have you had the pleasure of watching your child respectfully greet a guest with a smile, handshake, and good eye contact? It is one of the most wonderful things to see. It expresses confidence, dignity, and humility. It’s the simplest gesture known to civilization, yet one of the most profound. When we greet someone with respect it says, “I respect you and want you to respect me”. Simple acts such as this are taught. It isn’t accidental.

 

Respect is a learned behavior just like disrespect is. If our children are acting disrespectful you can bet that they are observing the same behavior from someone they look up to. Our children will rise or fall to whatever level they see the adults in their lives behave. Ouch. It reminds me of the country song Watching You, by Rodney Atkins when the little boy uses a four letter word that started with “s” and the dad asks where he learned to talk like that. He said, “I’ve been watching you, now ain’t that cool. I’m your buckaroo. I want to be like you …” .

 

In her book, The Family Coach Method, Dr. Lynne Kenney lists seven simple things we can do as adults to foster strong character in our children. They include:

 

I love her choice to use “be”. It expresses a powerful parenting tip. Tell your children what to do, not what not to do. Giving children clear direction about what is good and right wires their thinking and builds good habits. Showing your children that you respect them through your words and actions encourages your children to respect themselves, you, and others.

 

Here are some AACA ways to help your child practice good character:

Heart – Expect your child to respectfully greet guests.

Mind – Provide “think time” when your child is struggling with a task.

Body – Encourage exercise every day.

Soul – Ask your children to share three things they like about their character.

 

 

 

 

Our character counts for as much or more than any skill or talent we possess. Great people are honored for who they are, more than what they can do. At AACA we are on a mission to Grow Great Kids! Our August theme is Character Counts. Specific traits include trust, respect, responsibility, fairness, and caring. We illustrate this theme with a fist of five fingers and explain that these five character traits cause us to be TeRRiFiC!

It is from these traits that our success and happiness stems. These habits count and are necessary for everything else in life to flourish. It’s our character that drives our happiness and success. Anything contrary to these TeRRiFiC behaviors leads to trouble. One of my favorite quotes reads:

When trouble arises, ask your child which of these character traits are missing. Most of the time they will be able to identify one or more. At that point, ask your child what the behavior could have looked like had they used the TeRRiFiC character trait instead of the negative trait. To correct the mistake have your child practice the correct behavior five times to “erase” the one mistake. It takes 3-20 times to learn anything so the five correct behaviors will help rewire the brain with positive thoughts and actions.