Editor’s Pick. Written by Laura Markham.
Kids need our hugs, but that’s not what teaches them to do right. How do kids learn?
Our modeling. When we take responsibility, when we apologize, when we regulate our own emotions so we aren’t yelling at them, children learn to take responsibility, to apologize, to regulate their own emotions and treat others with respect.
Our guidance. When we talk with them about the choices in their lives, kids learn. Should he lie about his age to get a cheaper admission price at the amusement park? Can she break a date with a friend when she gets a more exciting offer? Should he help pay for the window he broke with his baseball? Talk about the fact that ethical choices are worth making, even when it costs you…And what ethical choice doesn’t cost you?
