Remembrance Day, for many, is a day of reflection and a day of thanks for all those that gave their lives in the name of their countries.
Remembrance Day; it’s not just about war, but about peace. If we teach our children about peace, they could be the generation that won’t start the wars, but practice that ultimate unreachable possibility - peace. Imagine, ("Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." - John Lennon)
could there really be such a world? Teach your children kindness, consideration, giving and peace.
With all the attention that bullying is getting, now is the time to teach your children to be kind to each other and Remembrance Day is just the right opportunity to begin this journey with your family. I truly believe that kindness matters and if we can strengthen the trait of compassion that humans show to one another, animals, and their environment, it would rule out many of the problems and challenges we face in the world today and for our children's future.
We cannot teach peace through words alone. We must teach by example, by the way we interact with others, by the way we treat our animals, by the way we respect our environment. Our children observe our actions and follow our lead. We are responsible for the future generation who will inherit our planet.
We can teach love, peace, empathy, and compassion to our children, empowering them with the knowledge and confidence to make a difference in their own world.
STEPS TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN PEACE
There is no such thing as stress-free parenting.
Peace isn’t a place with no stress, but a place where you take the stress as it comes, in stride, and don’t let it rule you. You let it flow through you and then smile, and breathe, and give your child a hug.
Greet your child each morning with a smile, a hug, and a loving ‘good morning!’ This is how we would all like to be greeted each day.
Read to them often. It’s a wonderful way to bond, to educate, to explore imaginary worlds.
Build forts with them. Play hide and seek. Shoot each other with Nerf dart guns. Have tea together. Squeeze lemons and make lemonade. Play, often, as play is the essence of childhood. Don’t try to force them to stop playing.
When your child asks for your attention, grant it.
Parents need alone time, though. Set certain traditions so that you’ll have time to work on your own, or have mommy and daddy time in the evening, when your child can do things on her own.
When your child is upset, put yourself in his shoes. Don’t just judge the behaviour (yes, crying and screaming isn’t ideal), but the needs behind the behaviour. Does he need a hug, or attention, or maybe he’s just tired?
Model the behaviour you want your child to learn. Don’t yell at the child because he is screaming. Don’t get angry at a child for losing his temper. Don’t get mad at a kid who wants to play video games all the time if you’re always on your laptop. Be calm, smile, be kind, go outdoors and be active.
Remember that your child is a gift. She won’t be a child for long, and so your time with her is fleeting. Every moment you can spend with her is a miracle, and you should savor it. Enjoy it to the fullest, and be grateful for that moment.
Let your child share your interests. Bake cookies together. Sew together. Exercise together. Read together. Work on a website together. Write a blog together.
Know that when you screw up as a parent, everything will be fine. Forgive yourself. Apologize. Learn from that screw up. In other words, model the behaviour you’d like your child to learn whenever he screws up.
Give your child some space. Parents too often overschedule their child’s life, with classes and sports and play dates and music and clubs and the like, but it’s a constant source of stress for both child and parent to keep this schedule going. Let the child go outside and play. Free time is necessary. You don’t always have to be by her side either — she needs alone time just as much as you do.
Exercise to cope with stress. A run in solitude is a lovely thing. Get a massage every now and then.
It helps tremendously to be a parenting team — one parent can take over when the other gets stressed. When one parent starts to lose his temper, the other should be a calming force.
Mom and dad need a date night every week or so. Get a babysitter, or better yet, teach the older kids to babysit.
Sing and dance together.
Take every opportunity to teach kindness and love. It’s the best lesson.
Kiss your child goodnight. And give thanks for another amazing day with your beautiful, unique, crazy child.
Steps to Teach your children Peace found on zenhabits.net/the-way
By: Kathryn Hartwell
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