Have you thought much about your child’s moral upbringing? Unfortunately it is one of the things that can fall by the wayside when you are a single parent. With all the other things that need to be done every day you may think that as long as you model good morals your children will learn by example.
In some cases, this is true, in others, not so much. I’m not saying you have to take your kids to church every Sunday, I’m just saying that teaching morals needs to be a more active thing than simply modeling what you want your children to emulate.
None of us can say that we haven’t made poor choices, and somehow, our kids always find out. Whether you were a teenage parent, had sex outside of marriage or did other things you are not necessarily proud of, we all have fallen down at some point.
This is why it is so important to actively teach your children about morals and how to live and love in this world.
Once our kids become teenagers it is only natural for them to push against us. No matter how well we have done our job our children need to spread their wings and separate from us. Sometimes this can extend as far as our beliefs as well.
Raising a moral child starts when they start to become aware of the world and people around them. Everything they see and hear becomes part of who they are. If we take measures to ensure the things they are learning enforce the morals we want them to have, these behaviors will become part of who they are.
It’s much easier to rebel against your parents than to go against the grain of who you are as a person. That is not to say your children will not make mistakes, they will, but they will have a foundation that allows them to learn, correct the problem and grow.
Only you can decide what this means to you. Maybe you will only allow certain television shows and movies, maybe you will read books together that teach moral lessons you want them to have, maybe it simply means you wont’ swear when you stub your toe.
Whatever it means for your family, make a conscious effort because little pictures really do have big ears.