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As our children grow up, we like to give them more freedom to express themselves and develop as individuals. However, as they grow, we also want to encourage them to be kind and safe at all times. Here are a few helpful ideas from Allison Chawla on teaching compassion as well as personal safety to our little ones.
Safety
- Trust their instincts: Most children are going to be intuitive by nature, and you can let them know that if it doesn’t feel right to talk to someone or do something, their instincts are probably right.
- Social boundaries: Teaching children that it isn’t okay to talk to strangers is key, as well as explaining that it isn’t okay if strangers talk to them.
- Danger: While we don’t want to completely scare our children, we must be honest about danger. Tell your children of the dangers of going somewhere with a stranger so that they understand the reasons behind the mantra.
- Identify suspicious behavior: Rather than relying on “stranger danger,” consider teaching your child how to recognize suspicious behavior.
- Protect themselves: It is okay for children to do anything to protect themselves from strangers. If approached by a stranger, your child should know that they have the right to yell, kick, run, or do whatever else they need to do to get away.
Compassion
- No name-calling: Compassion begins with simply clarifying what is okay and what is not. Stopping name-calling before it starts is a great way to begin living compassionately.
- Good manners: Teaching children strong manners will help them be kinder and more compassionate within social interactions.
- Reward kindness: When you see your child demonstrating compassion, tell him or her how proud you are! Rewarding kindness with kindness will help your child to experience those feel good, emotional rewards.
- Set a good example: We can’t forget that our children learn from us- so practicing compassion in front of them is key.
- Point out others who demonstrate kindness: Children learn by example, and pointing out others who are being kind and compassionate will help them to want to do the same.
Click here to read the full article by Allison Chawla for Huffington Post.
