The 11 Things Your Kids Should Know (So They Can Save America): And Basic Lessons for the Rest of Us - Softcover

White, Steve

Softcover

ISBN 10: 146976914X ISBN 13: 9781469769141

Verlag: iUniverse, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

Our country and our government have huge issues to deal with today. We have enormous debt, high unemployment, entitlement programs that are unsustainable, pornography, drug use, and skyrocketing divorce rates. We lack the honesty, integrity, and moral values of our forefathers. Our country isn't broken. People are broken. Author Steve White proposes a solution to these ever-increasing problems. In The 11 Things Your Kids Should Know (So They Can Save America), he discusses eleven important principles that should be the foundation of every child's upbringing. By focusing on these basic ideas that help young people form good moral compasses, White believes we can raise a generation that embodies the same values as the country's Founding Fathers, thereby bringing honesty, integrity, and moral values back to America. Some of the principles he discusses include teaching children to be nice, like themselves, make a difference, eat healthy and stay fit, never stop learning, and get to know God. Using real-life examples, White shows how we can equip today's children to make a difference, regain our value system, and save our nation.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Steve White is a retired management consultant. He has written books on psychology, parenting, and knowing God. He attends Northpoint Community Church. In addition, he is a frequent speaker and educator. He has four children and eight grandchildren, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Sherrie. You may contact Mr. White and visit his website at www.BooksAboutHim.com.

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The 11 Things Your Kids Should Know (So They Can Save America)

And Basic Lessons for the Rest of UsBy Steve White

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Steve White
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4697-6914-1

Contents

Preface.............................................................................ixIntroduction........................................................................xiiiA Few Words about Parenting.........................................................xviiChapter 1 Make Sure They Like That Person in the Mirror............................1Chapter 2 Teach Them to Love Until It Doesn't Hurt Anymore.........................7Chapter 3 Teach Them to Be Nice....................................................14Chapter 4 Getting to Know God......................................................18Chapter 5 Doing unto Others: The Gold in the Rule..................................28Chapter 6 Teach Them to Never Stop Learning........................................38Chapter 7 Make Sure They Learn to Make a Difference................................44Chapter 8 Eating Healthy and Staying Fit...........................................49Chapter 9 All Work and No Play Sucks: Have Them Go for Balance.....................58Chapter 10 Money Matters...........................................................62Chapter 11 They Are Special........................................................70Epilogue............................................................................76

Chapter One

Make Sure They Like That Person in the Mirror

It is absolutely essential that your kids like themselves. But they are complex, and there are many component parts that make up their personality. So in order for them to like themselves, they have to like all their component parts. Some of their component parts include their morals, values, ethics, and personal integrity.

Webster defines morals as motivation based on your ideas of right or wrong. So how do your kids decide what is right or wrong? Like most kids, you play the biggest part in helping them form their concepts of right and wrong. But even in an environment without parental guidance, kids can ask themselves two questions: Does it hurt anybody else, and would I hate this to be done to me? If the answer is yes to either question, then it is probably wrong and they shouldn't do it.

Values are a little different. Values are more beliefs in which they have an emotional investment. Things that they value don't necessarily have anything to do with right or wrong. For example, their highest value could be education, whereas someone else's highest value could be health. Neither is necessarily right or wrong, just different. And they could both value health and education—just on different levels. But again, my litmus test for values is whether or not what they do hurts other people and whether they would want that action to happen to themselves. I believe that the best source for further personal guidance on the appropriateness of your morals and values, your sense of right and wrong, can be found in the Bible. Some examples are found below.

• Morals and Values – See Exodus 23:24–25, Judges 8:31, 2 Samuel 3:7, 2 Chronicles 13:8, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Romans 1:25 and 12:3, Ephesians 2:3, and Philippians 1:20–21.

• Integrity – See Genesis 43:12, Psalms 25:21, Proverbs 19:1 and 12:3, Matthew 3:15, and Luke 16:10–11.

• Right/Wrong – See Exodus 20:1–17.

Ethics is yet another component part of your kids. Webster defines ethics as the philosophical study of moral values and rules and motivation based on your ideas of right and wrong. Ethics is not only found at the personal level but also at the corporate level. Corporations and even Congress have ethics committees to monitor behavior and ensure that people conduct themselves appropriately. On a personal level, it is simply doing what is right and fair. I have a good friend who has a tagline on all his e-mails. It says, "Do the Right Thing, and Do It Right Now." That's a good description of ethics in action.

Now we come to personal integrity. Webster's definition of integrity is the quality, or state of being, of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity. Personal integrity includes morals, values, and ethics, but it goes beyond those to include honesty and sincerity. Our kids should be people of their word. When they tell someone that they will do something, they should make sure that they do it. When they tell someone they will be there, make sure that they show up. And if they told them a time, then they should be on time. Their word should be like money in the bank. People should know that they can always count on our kids because they are people of their word.

In addition to these components that make up our kids, there are others worthy of consideration as well. I cannot spend time on all the components, but there are many pieces that make up their character, components that define who they really are. Our kids need to examine them all and be the best people that they can possibly be.

In addition to the component parts, they also have many aspects to their lives. These aspects include family, school, church, work, recreation, and so on. We each have many aspects to our lives, and we bring our character to each and every one.

One thing they need is congruence. They must agree with themselves. By that, I mean congruence between the three basic activities in life—thinking, saying, and doing. If what they think, what they say, and what they do are all in agreement, then there will be a sense of peace and contentment for them. If any activity is incongruent, then they will have a sense of incompleteness, deception, and a lack of fulfillment. Practice what you preach is a great motto for them.

So how do they really know if they like that person in the mirror or not? What's their basis for determining what criteria they should they use? How do they do it? Socrates gave us the answer. He said, "A life unexamined is not worth living." I believe that; I think they must examine themselves. They should examine themselves by asking four basic questions:

• Are all my component parts (values, morals, ethics, and personal integrity) where I want them to be? Am I a person of good character?

• Am I applying my character across all the aspects of my life?

• Is there congruence between what I think, what I say, and what I do?

• How do I measure up in the other ten chapters of this book?

If they like their answers to these questions, then I am confident that they will like that person in the mirror. If they don't like their answers, then make sure they fix any inconsistencies immediately. Do not let them wait until tomorrow. Putting off the change will only make it more difficult for them to fix later.

Peter "Dale" Wimbrow wrote a poem in 1934 that sums it up very nicely:

      The Guy in the Glass

    When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
    And the world makes you king for a day,
    Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
    And see what that guy has to say.

    For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
    Who judgment upon you must pass.
    The feller whose...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 146976914X
• ISBN 13: 9781469769141
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 104
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland