My 5 things

Before I had children, whenever I’d meet someone’s children who were behaving badly, it would always leave me with a feeling that the parents had missed something vital in what they were teaching their children.

Those little lessons, however infrequent, have always stayed with me.  When TwitterMoms asked us what 5 Important Things Our Children NEED to Know, I knew what my first one would be.

1. Manners!  My children’s first words were please and thank you.  As a result, they’ve always been complimented for their manners, even when they sometimes forget.
2. Looking both ways before crossing the street.  We’ve always lived on busy roads, so it’s always been vital that they learn that immediately – as soon as they could *get* the idea.  Even in parking lots and on our very quiet cul-de-sac, I remind them because you just never know.
3. Brushing their teeth. I’ve suffered endlessly with my poor oral habits, and so I have insisted that they have a better understanding of why they need to brush, not just a standard “BECAUSE”. 
4. Name & address.  Not every kid will always know this information, and I fear that it’ll be my kid that gets lost at the fair, store or mall and not know how to tell police where to find us.
5. Compassion.  My kids have always been taught to look at both sides of a situation and to try and understand what the other person is going through in a conflict – or when we come across someone who is less fortunate than us – and look for ways to help.

Of course, only in a perfect world would my children REMEMBER these things all the time, but I like to think that with some gentle reinforcement, they’ll keep them safe, happy and loving.

Thank you to TwitterMoms for giving me the opportunity to reflect on these things.  What 5 lessons would you want to instill in your kids?

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I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Nanny McPhee Returns blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.