The Influences on Our Children

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We’ve tried to make our daughter aware of the kids she keeps around herself and the influences others have on a person. She’s also very impressionable. She was having some issues with making poor choices, and we asked her why she thought she was doing this. She said it was maybe a couple new friends she’d been hanging around at school and thought maybe that’s why. She’s finally understanding the importance for herself! Since this conversation, the pandemic hit, kids were shifted to remote learning, and now we’re well into a school year with more of the same. The direct influences on our children are lessened right now, but what about when they return to school full-time and peer pressure resumes, are we enabling our children now to be confident in themselves and the influences they will once again face when we are safe to emerge from our bubbles?

How do we as adults be aware of those we allow around us and the influence it has on us? Are we open-minded? Are we judgmental? What kind of influence are we on others? The type we’d want our kids to be influenced by?

If you turn on the TV, there seems to be a lot of hate and divisiveness in our country. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of that going on. It’s also not the majority. Most of us care about our fellow human beings, want to learn more and do more for others whose voices have been suppressed, have compassion and sympathy for those less fortunate than ourselves, and treat others with the same respect we would expect and want for ourselves and our family.

What can you do right now to show your kids how to not only prepare for the influences of the world but to also be empowered to be the right kind of influence on others as well?

Here are some things we’ve tried to instill in our daughter via questions we continue to ask her and hope it might help you as well –

  • Are the friends you choose to keep around you treating you the right way?
  • Are your friends helping you to make the right choices?
  • Do the things you talk about with your friends bring others up or tear them down?
  • You made the wrong choice by doing [such and such]. Why do you think you made that choice?

What other ways do you try to make your children aware of the influences that are always upon them, and what tips do you have for the rest of us that have worked in your family?

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