5 Ways Of Teaching Your Daughter Good Values

As a mother, I have a lot of values I’d like to instill in my seven-year-old daughter. Discipline, honesty, and respect among other things. As a doctor, I’m often too busy with work that I don’t have the amount of time that other mothers spend for their kids. Even during weekends, the hospital could suddenly call for me when in need. So, with that situation, I try to do some things that could help in her upbringing. Let me share some of it with you.

Be a role model – As a woman, I try to set myself as a good example for my daughter. Whenever I commit to something, I always follow through. Whenever I talk to people, I show respect no matter the differences in our opinions. The important thing to remember though, is not to break your word or show anything that contradicts what you say. Kids do notice and would defeat the purpose of what you are trying to teach them.

Share experiences – Children are very curious. Whenever they see something that they have never encountered – like a certain situation, they will certainly ask about it. It is then your chance to tell them of your experience about that same situation. For example, my husband and I once brought our daughter to The Strip in Vegas. She was curious why there are a lot of loud and drunk people everywhere. I told her what the place was and why she should avoid those people, of course. And then I proceeded with telling her a bad experience that I had about it.

Monitor her TV and computer usage – Especially if you are connected to the Internet. There are a lot of things you wouldn’t want her to see during her tender years. The more odd stuff she learns, the less focus she will have in learning the values you are trying to teach. Worse, she may learn bad stuff that will have to be “unlearned”. Try to have her watch educational TV shows and have her play kiddie programs from the computer to maximize the use of these media.

Encourage her to share with others – Kids are egocentric. That is, they mostly value themselves before others. I try to have her share with other kids her age by giving her things like cookies and other sweets. Hopefully, the habit sticks and through that, she would learn kindness and compassion for others.

Praise her for good things that she accomplished – Especially those related to the above. Praise for me is more important than punishment. However, punishment also serves as a good way of conditioning in some cases. By praising her whenever she does good things (and giving a reward, sometimes – not too much as she will be expecting it in the future), it will motivate her to do more and would hopefully contribute to my success in bringing her up.

Well, these are just some of what I can remember at the moment and what I often do. How about you? I’d love it if you shared yours.