Inside: You want your kids to grow up to be nice people. But how do you take a kid who tantrums every 7 seconds and turn them into a kind, caring adult? Here’s how.
You want your child to grow up to be a kind, compassionate person.
At least I don’t think anyone sets out to raise a meanie.
You have this mental picture of your child as an adult – thoughtful, generous, and loved by their friends and family.
But then you look at the child in front of you.
Maybe you have a toddler throwing the tantrum to end all temper tantrums over the fact that you won’t let them stick a phone charger in the light socket. Or a grade-schooler who loses at Monopoly and flips the board over then storms off. Or a tween who rolls their eyes at 97.3 percent of what you say.
It’s not exactly clear how you’re supposed to help your child get from point A to point B.
You’re lucky if you can get them to eat broccoli, let alone grow into a mature adult who writes prompt thank-you notes and volunteers regularly just because and remembers to call their mother more than once a year.
That’s why when I came across advice from Harvard researchers on how to raise kind and caring kids, I got a little excited.
Practical, straightforward, research-backed tips on how to teach your child to be kind? YES, PLEASE.
Bonus: Download these free conversation starters that will help raise your kids to be kind.
A Fateful Night in College
One nugget of advice in particular stood out to me: “Give your child an ethical dilemma at dinner or ask your child about dilemmas they’ve faced.”
When I first read that, a memory from my college years flashed through my mind. A bunch of my friends and I sat around one night playing a board game called Scruples.
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I’m a mom of four, a recovering perfectionist, and the author of Happy You, Happy Family. Parenting is hard enough without all the guilt we heap on top of ourselves. So let’s stop trying to be perfect parents and just be real ones. Sound good? Join my mailing list and as a bonus, you’ll get 25+ incredibly helpful cheat sheets that will ease your parenting struggles.