If more parents focused on educating their children about compassion, the world would be a much better place. Sadly, today’s culture is full of sarcasm and selfishness, especially online. It’s up to you to teach the upcoming generation to do and be better.
Practice What You Preach
Understanding and expressing emotions is not always simple. Let your heart be an open book to your children. They must believe that you can express your affection for them both physically and verbally. This provides them with much-needed security and strengthens their capacity to extend love to others.
It’s important to teach your child compassion and kindness, but it’s also important for them to experience it for themselves. Even more effective than demonstrating empathy and compassion is letting your child feel it. Make sure to show your child plenty of tender loving care whether they are hurt, ill, or upset about something. The fact that they can feel this act of compassion means that they will want others to experience it too.
In many situations (business and pleasure), ethics are ignored, and morals are sacrificed. This pattern needs to change. Teach your children to have principles they won’t compromise on and to act justly in all circumstances. People who treat others with respect and dignity tend to be compassionate.
Love Thy Neighbour
Teach your children love and respect for all. Allowing them to assist and learn from the older members of your community can help them grow. Respect for the elderly shows deep compassion.
Teach your children to understand, help, and have a relationship with disabled members of your community. Although their minds or bodies may function differently, each soul is formed with a distinct beauty.
Encourage your children to be a spokesperson for the downtrodden. Teach them to be brave and to take care of that child sitting alone at school, or the one who nobody speaks to, or that student who needs a hand but feels embarrassed to ask.
Make a Difference
If you are in a stable position and realize that as a family you have so much more to offer, you could investigate fostering. This can offer short- or long-term assistance to children in need and is available in various locations across the county. Find out more at fosteringpeople.co.uk.
With your children, think of ways that your compassion as a family can produce lasting effects. Rather than giving cash to a homeless person, consider preparing “care bags” to distribute. These can be filled with essentials like food and toiletries.
To teach children about commitment to the welfare of a cause other than their own, consider keeping pets. This responsibility teaches a child compassion as pets offer unconditional love and loyalty. Having a pet that needs care in difficult situations or perhaps due to disease teaches them what it means to be a member of a family and how each person looks out for the other.
It all begins with you – be a role model in your family. Let your children see love, kindness, compassion, and empathy streaming from your generous heart. In this way, they will learn to love their neighbors and how to make a difference in the lives of others.