“Many of the things we learned during this trial that our children were saying and doing were profane, were ugly . . .[Parents need] to have discussions about how you talk to your friends, how you record things on the social media so prevalent today and how you conduct yourself when drinking is put upon you by your friends.” Judge …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Responsibility (cont.)
Teach it. Being a Responsible person requires a number of specific skills. Your kid will need help developing them. Self control. Responsibility requires the ability to resist impulses and delay gratification in the service of longer term goals. Your kid will need practice dealing with frustration and remaining calm and focused under stress. Make your kid wait. Require them to …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Responsibility
def. (noun) accountable or answerable for your actions If your kid is going to accomplish anything, they have to take personal responsibility for making it happen. Responsibility is directly tied to success. Responsible people are both proactive in addressing issues and hold themselves accountable for the consequences of their actions. Responsible people are trusted, they are given greater opportunities and …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Kindness (cont.)
Teach it. Kindness is a combination of several different qualities you can help your kid develop. Here are some worth cultivating. Empathy. Kindness, like other prosocial Character-istics (e.g., Compassion, Generosity), requires understanding of others feelings; viewing things from their perspective. It is important to help your kid “walk a mile in their shoes.” Take the time to talk about how …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Kindness
def. (noun) benevolent, considerate and helpful Kindness, particularly in the form of altruism, does a person good; so much so that it appears to be hard wired into our system. People who are mean and selfish are likely to be shunned; those who are kind, considerate and helpful are liked and valued. Acts of kindness reduce stress, increase the release …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Honor, Pt 2
Teach it. While research suggests that people have a natural tendency to be fair, there are also lots of experiences (and cultural messages) that encourage kids to think only of themselves. There are a number of qualities that underlie a sense of Honor. Define honor. Honorable people treat others fairly. Fair, just, equitable, right, good sport; these are a few …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Honor, Pt 1
def: (noun) fair and respects the rights of others One of the primary ways that societies regulate the behavior of their fellow citizens has been through an emphasis on honor; upholding it, defending it, living with it. In many considerations, honor represents the whole collection of Character-istics, similar to Character and integrity. However, in this column, honor represents a specific …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Honesty, pt 2
Teach it (i.e., give direct moral instruction). There are a number of component skills that are a part of being an honest person. Kids need to know how to give an honest opinion. They can also benefit from learning how to be diplomatic about speaking honestly. Honest people also need to know how to set limits on what they are …
Fostering Character Development in Teens: Honesty, pt 1
def. (noun) sincere, frank, genuine, truthful In addition to learning how to behave appropriately in different social situations, establish a foundation for future employment, and develop meaningful close relationships, teens also need to create a foundation of universal moral principles to guide decision making throughout their lives. Honesty is one of these fundamental values. Honest people are sincere, frank, genuine, …
Teen Pregnancy Rates, Sexual Decision Making and Intimate Relationships
I’ve been interviewed recently about changes in teen pregnancy rates across the last decade. In a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of teenage pregnancies has declined by 40% from what they were in 1995. This is one of the many indications of how well teenagers are doing these days. * You’d think that with all …