Teaching Kids Kindness in a Violent World
One of the things that often bothers me about this young generation of kids is the amount of violence they are exposed to. Almost every entertainment medium they interact with or watch has violence attached to it. I tracked my latest “dad’s day” with my kids and guess what we did, we watched a little WWE wrestling which is obviously violence personified. We watched “Batman Begins” where almost every other frame had someone getting his bones broken. And finally, we capped the night in an internet café shooting each other in the virtual world of “Counterstrike”.
We had a super day, and I saw in my son’s eyes, laughter and the skip in their step that they had a great time. But as a father, you come home and ask yourself, amidst all that violence, how does one balance life’s lessons and teach kindness?
Some people say not to allow your sons to be exposed to these forms of entertainment. Though I respect that school of thought, I just don’t find it practical. In some way, they will get exposed to violence and worse, get it behind your back and without your supervision. So to me, balance is the key.
So the question remains. How do you teach your kids kindness amidst a violent world?
The simple solution may surprise you. One of the best lessons I got on parenting was when my mom told me that if I wanted to teach my kids how to be kind, teach them how to take care of pets. It made sense. Exposing young children to caring for pets usually molds them into more caring human beings.
My 3 boys, Miguel, Beej and Joaquin have two rabbits, Pop and Acoustic that freely run around our front and back lawn, cross the street, visit our neighbors house, and meets us every morning so they can eat rabbit pellets off our hand (As of this writing, both rabbits have decided to roam the village on their own). We have a “sulcata” tortoise named Flash which in time, will be big and strong enough to carry them on his back and an Indian Star tortoise named Rocko. We also have a red tail catfish named Dog who resembles a Nike rubber shoe (get it? A CATfish named Dog?), and a big headed flowerhorn fish who acts like a dog because he allows us to pet his round head. Speaking of dogs, we have a Jack Russel Terrier named Smulkey that’s a small bundle of energy. Finally, though they are not ours, and just visits everyday, the trees in our home plays hosts to squirrels that leap from one branch to the next at 6:00 am, no fail.
As my boys grow up, I watch how they treat our pets. Though they have yet to become diligent when it comes to the feeding and cleaning, I can see the caring and concern they have for the animals. And as much as they enjoy the latest Playstation game, they also enjoy playtime with our dog, rabbits and tortoises.
At their age, what is important is developing a heart that cares. And one way to achieve this is through pets. In some shape or form, it will translate to caring for others.
I’m confident my children know that the multi-media violent world they enter in is fantasy, while caring for their pets is reality. I’m certain they know this, because I taught them that. Every time they play a new game, watch a new show, or surf a new site that has scenes of violence, I sit them down and grab that opportunity to teach them right from wrong.
In the end, the most powerful weapon against a world full of violence are the parents taking time to teach, show and model to their children that kindness wins over violence. No amount of violence seen by a child can beat the wise words of a father and the loving teachings of a mother.
If like me you’ve been wondering how to shield your children’s mind from the violence that surrounds them, try these two simple steps. Give them a pet they can love and care for. And spend time teaching them and showing them the virtue of kindness in your own life. Show them how you treat other people with respect, especially those lower than you. Show them how you help people in need. Show them how you volunteer to make a difference in other people’s lives. In a nutshell, the Bible sums the proper attitude up when it said, “Always esteem others higher than yourself.”
Finally burn in their hearts the rule John Wesley had for his life as he ignited the flame of christian revival when the world was spiraling down in decadence.
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the time you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can.
I bet John Wesley’s parents gave him a pet to care for.
posted by Butch Jimenez @ 2:08 PM
2 Comments:
Fighting for custody of the Net
Custody battles are always nasty. And from the looks of things, a recent proposal to shift control of the Internet to the U.N. will be no better.
your words have power, so it's good you're using them wisely... and blogs can hurt or help people, thank you for considering this.
This blog is a winner, the creator must be too!
Keep up the smooth work, truly fantastic.
I love the topic...
~ Bye
Surf Rash Guards | French Kissing Tips
Creative Media Vidz
Filed in archive Mobile Computing After the release of the Video iPod earlier this week, Creative didn't want to stay back and watch the show go on, so they decided to join the show with the latest Audio/Video ...
Find out how to buy and sell anything, like things related to road construction safety equipment on interest free credit and pay back whenever you want! Exchange FREE ads on any topic, like road construction safety equipment!
Post a Comment
<< Home