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Loyalty to aging parents sets example for our children

Loyalty is about our commitment to a person, place or a cause that we stick up for and stay with through thick and thin, good times and bad. When a person is loyal to us, we know we can depend on them to be there for us, that their promises will be kept. We have faith in them, and we trust them to help us when things are not going well.

All of us have people in our lives that we know will be there for us when we are sick, worried, upset or even scared. Unfortunately, we also have most likely experienced the loss of relationships due to a lack of loyalty, which leads us to believe they are not trustworthy. In any event, loyalty is what we find first and most of the time in the family though even that can change over time.

Loyalty inside the family is where most of us learn our lessons about loyalty and so helping our children appreciate that we are a team that must stick together to get our mission accomplished and supports each other even in the worst of times. I often think about this generation today that finds themselves between their parents and their children and how to balance those loyalties when they become time-consuming.

Caring for aging parents while raising our children is a problematic situation that needs balance along with understanding and empathy. What I do know is the way we talk about dealing with our parents as they get older and need our loyalty more than ever before in their life with and front of our children will be one of the ways they learn to view loyalty. I often think about dealing with elderly parents and the example it sets for our children. I believe that later in life, the way we viewed and carried out these responsibilities will be how our children treat us as we age.

We learn about loyalty and what it looks like much the same as we learn how our family views and values other virtues. Setting that example may determine how our children respond to difficult circumstances in the future.

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Should I keep a secret? Teaching children about secrets

The telling and having secrets that we share with that special someone is a part of childhood that can be fun, exciting and a part of growing up. However, as adults, we know that a child could be frightened into keeping something to themselves and not telling an adult when it is most important. It is difficult for them to comprehend when to keep a secret and when they should tell.

The simple rule to start your child with is if you are not sure then you should ask your parents what they think. Asking your parents about a secret is always going to be the go-to answer, but beyond that we want them to begin honing their conscious too so their intuition guides them when fear might be overtaking them.

The fun part of keeping a secret is when you might be planning a surprise party for a family member, or you have another special event coming up that we are waiting to tell everyone about, we want to keep it a secret. The questionable choices come when a child or adult is told something by a close friend, and they have sworn them to secrecy. What are the rules or line of reasoning we can give our kids to help them choose between keeping the secret or telling an adult?

Rule 1. How does it make you feel? If you feel bad about what someone has told you or what they have demanded you keep secret makes you uncomfortable then you must ask a parent or another adult if that is something you should keep secret. If someone has touched you in places that a swimsuit is typically worn and then tells you that it is just our secret – you will want to tell a parent or a caring adult.

Rule 2. Will it hurt someone? Have you been told something that either may not be safe or will get someone hurt, either the teller of the secret or anyone else? If someone is liable to get hurt this is a secret that needs to be given the light of day. So if someone is going to run away, hurt another person, bring something to school that might hurt them or others – if anyone could get hurt, you need to tell a parent or another caring adult. The hurt may be physical, or it may be an emotional hurt as in gossiping, either way, if someone is going to be hurt we must tell an adult.

Rule 3. Will I be proud of the choice I make? If the person goes through with what they tell you – will you be happy and proud that you did not mention it to anyone? It is easy to see that a surprise birthday party secret kept would make you proud as it may not be easy to do. Whereas if your friend was going to run away if something went wrong you would not be proud.

As a parent, you can use these three questions to work out with your child a way of determining if they should keep a secret or not. In fact, these questions may help them to make other choices about talking to an adult about before coming to their conclusion. Our job as a parent is not to tell our children what to do, but to help them learn to make responsible choices. Guide them, so they come to their conclusions.
I must say that these three questions or rules of decision making are suitable for adults too. All of us at times need to speak out loud so we can hear for ourselves what is right for us to do. It is great when you have a trusted and loyal companion that we can talk to as we come to decisions about our life. Loyal friends are a gift that we appreciate by being loyal back to them.

 

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The practice of loyalty is shown in multiple ways

The virtue of loyalty is appreciated by all and is shown in so many different ways. We can show devotion to a friend by keeping our promises and commitments. If we promise to spend time with them, we maintain that commitment. Reliability does not always need a spoken promise. If we are friends, there is an unspoken expectation that we will spend time on a regular basis with each other, sharing stories, experiences, and thoughts. We would treat each other the same way no matter who may be present in the group of friends. We would not be one way when alone and another when we are with other people.

Loyalty to a team has specific requirements that may be spoken or may be expected even in a volunteer capacity. We would support the team by showing up for games, practices, meetings and other organized events if at all possible. Raising money and different supportive ways to help keep the mission of the team going strong is loyalty. The same would be true whether it is a sports team, community civics group, or a group supporting a cause that we would like to help.

Loyalty would also be a factor for an owner of a pet. We show dedication to our responsibility and promise we have made to care for this animal in a manner that would keep them healthy, safe and happy. Just because the pet doesn’t complain or stop giving us their love and attention is not an excuse to forget our responsibility to care for them.

On a much larger scale, each of us has the opportunity to show loyalty to the Universe, the environment and humans across the world by the way we care for the earth. When we are sensitive to not littering, the quality of the air and water and the ways we can contribute to the environment, we are showing loyalty to a much higher cause.

Each day the choices we make show our commitment to the virtue of loyalty by the way we maintain integrity in our relationships and causes. Doing what we say and standing up for what is right and best for all is the practice of loyalty.

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Gifts of Character: Loyalty – The Definition

Each month we will discuss one life skill with all of our students. This month’s skill is Loyalty. This life skill will be defined in the following ways for our students.

Young students:  “I’ll stand by you!”

Older students:  Faithful or committed to a person, place, group or cause!

We are not your typical after school activity, in fact, we are an education center, working with students on physical self-defense skills while empowering families to bring out the best in our children and ourselves – through the martial arts. We believe every child has 52 gifts in them already. They only need to be taught how to grow and use them in their life. Balanced Life Skills serves parents, teachers, and students to reach that goal.

 Get the list of 52 Gifts of Character / Virtues!

TRY CLASSES FOR FREE for 2-weeks.

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Stop Shaming Procrastination – Develop your virtues

Setting goals makes us feel hopeful and excited about what is to come. Imagine how we are going to feel when we complete what we set out to accomplish. It may be a physical change we want to make in ourselves, or we want to learn something new. So many times though, goals are not reached as we hoped or expected and we allow obstacles to get in the way of completion.

I believe that one of the biggest things that get in our way of reaching our goals is procrastination. That little matter of putting off getting started or taking the first steps toward achieving what we have hoped to complete. We all know what it feels like, most of us have most likely procrastinated on something and then find yourself disappointed or in a mad rush to get the project done.

Unfortunately, our kids see us deal with this annoyance of procrastination, and soon they are procrastinating themselves and many times it is the parents that deal with many of the consequences of their putting off a major project.

While there are books about procrastination – both the why and what to do about it – we still find that it can be a challenging practice to overcome. I thought maybe there is another approach. Perhaps we can look inside ourselves and see what we can call on or develop more of so that we get the job done promptly without the stress of waiting until the last possible moment.

What virtue would you call on when you know that you are procrastinating? Accountability, Decisiveness, Determination, Diligence, Excellence, Initiative, Orderliness, Purposefulness, Self-Discipline? Maybe there is a different one for you?

All of us have those virtues listed above as a part of who we are, but sometimes we need to call on them to come forward and be developed at this time. Instead of ‘demanding’ that a project gets done and shame the child or yourself with yelling or name calling (lazy, thoughtless, stupid, a failure), be kind and look for the virtue that you need to call on to overcome the obstacle. When you search for the virtue you need at this time, you are practicing the strategy of Recognizing Teachable Moments.

This is parenting and self-talk at its best.

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Learning to respect others who are different than ourselves

Respect is one of the virtues that every culture in the world, in families, communities, countries all agree is essential to raising the trust and peace in our relationships. Each of those cultures may have a different way of demonstrating respect, just as they may have different ways of recognizing a Higher Source, celebrating families, or rituals. So how do we react when faced with an individual, family, community or country that is different than our own?

In our own family, the words, comments, and thoughts we express guide our children to develop their beliefs about those that are different than themselves. When asked about the differences in other cultures, how do we respond to them? What assumptions do we lead our children to with our attitude about those who are different?

One thought to help each family guide their family towards peaceful relationships is to look for what similarities exist in the cultures that are different than ours. Seeing similarities helps us to understand the humanity in all. Families around the world all want their children to be safe, healthy, successful and happy. What that means or what it looks like in each culture will undoubtedly be different, and that is a teaching moment as we use empathy in our discussions.

In a world that seems to be getting smaller and increasingly interdependent, we each have a responsibility to guide those that we lead or influence to seeing those that are different from ourselves as humans with needs, feelings, hopes and desires that at their foundation are more similar to our own than they are different. Without respect for each other expressed with kindness and tact, caring and flexibility we will find ourselves lost of our dignity and unable to unite under the highest virtue of all, love.

Bringing out the best in our children and ourselves is our responsibility begins with seeing the best in our children. Name the virtues that you see in your children and acknowledge them for them for their goodness. Notice how they react when you know and name their respect, determination, cooperation or one of the other 100 virtues listed. Get your list by clicking here.    https://goo.gl/7wid8q