Help your child bring their values to life

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Values are what we truly find important in life. The more that our values are aligned with our actions, the better we feel and more clearly we operate and advocate for ourselves throughout life.

We have values in different realms, including: personal (e.g. health, knowledge, independence); social (respect, fairness); relationships (friendship, family, community); and materials (money, toys). The things we value are what we're inherently motivated to prioritize – where we spend our time, money and energy.

Although we feel our values on a deeply personal level, in fact, they are highly influenced by our social environments. (1) Children observe what the people around them say and do, how it seems to work out for them, and how others react. As your children are developing their values throughout childhood, it is important to be aware of:

The values you are modeling (more important that what you're saying)
How you discuss values you observe in the world and in stories you read and watch
The values modeled and taught by your child's school, peers and activities, such as sports teams etc.

Whether you feel like it or not, you can have a significant impact on your child’s values throughout their whole childhood. Research shows that the stronger your relationship with your child, the more they adopt and filter the rest of the world through values they've learned from you. And, when kids have high self-esteem and feel their 'love-tanks' are full from home, they choose friends with better values, and are more able to resist negative peer pressure.