Raising Children to Become Good Term Paper

Understanding others is crucial to developing empathy; that is, knowing how others feel about things. Compassion comes when empathy develops. Young children can learn to identify feelings by looking at pictures that reveal happiness, anger, sadness, etc. The parent or caregiver can point these out and also comment on the child's feelings as they arise. "You look sad. Is it because you have to stop playing and take a nap now?" natural structure for socialization and formation of good character is the story. Children need exposure to stories with moral messages -- in books, video, and from a parent's own life. When I was 12 I read a book called "The Secret Garden" that was full of good ideas for development of moral character. These ideas were not "preachy-teachy" but built into the fabric of the story. Young children still love "The Little Engine that Could," and the lesson of believing in oneself and not giving up is as important and meaningful today as it was in the 1940s when the book was written. Slater (2002) suggests making an interactive game out of reading stories. Close the book just before the story ends and ask the child to tell what he or she thinks will happen. This helps to develop imagination and also awareness of consequences.

Good parenting is not the only influence on intelligence and moral development.O'Rourke (1996) writes about "Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment" and argues that adults need to take responsibility for all children, not just their own. He states "Childhood is about being free to play, learn and love, being safe from the pressures of adult economic and sexual forces, and being accepted for who you are and not what you do" (p. 193). Children today face what he calls "an accumulation of risks." These include poverty, violence, and sexual aggression. Elkind (1998) also looks at changes in society that have affected childhood. In his book he points out that whereas kids were considered "innocent" in the 1950s, now they are expected to deal competently with violence, divorce and "televised sexuality." It almost goes without saying that kids need to be intelligent and moral, not only to save the world, but -- for their own sakes -- to survive stress and immorality in contemporary life.

References

Elkind, D. (1998). Reinventing childhood: Raising and educating children in a changing world. Rosemont, NJ: Modern Learning Press.

Graeber, L. (1998). Raising smart kids. Parents, 73 (5), 134-6. Retrieved on 8 April 2008 from Wilson Select Database.

O'Rourke, T.W. (1996). Raising children in a socially toxic environment. Journal of School Health, 66 (5), 193-95. Retrieved 7 April 2008 from InfoTrac Psychology Collection,.....