Here Are 6 Science-Backed Tips To Raising 'Good' Children, According To Harvard

Nov 16, 2018 by apost team

These days parents know all-too-well the struggle of gaining their children's attention thanks to modern technology. They know about all the different research on how it affects kids and the challenges it poses to raising them to be upstanding members of society. Thankfully not much has changed in regards to raising a good, moral child in the age of modernity.

Recent research from Harvard suggests that helping your children grow into happy, healthy adults shouldn't come at the expense of empathy and kindness, and that certain strategies still work best to shaping your youngsters into the stable, morally-upstanding people you want them to be. Here is their list of 6 tips to ensuring your kids grow up to be good people.

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Nothing beats spending time with your kids. Ask them questions about themselves and their views on the world, and listen to what they say so that you know who your child is as an individual. This helps to show them how to demonstrate care and concern for others.

The researchers pointed out that while parents may make their child being a caring person a top priority, kids usually don't get the memo. If this is the case then say it out loud to them. Don't forget to check in on people like coaches and teachers to see how they are doing in terms of collaboration, teamwork, and being a good person overall.

Go over the decision-making processes with them that consider how other people are affected by their decisions. If your child wants to quit a sport, help them find what's causing this behavior and their commitment to their team so that they can decide if quitting is the right solution.

According to the researchers, people who express gratitude more often tend to be more helpful, compassionate, and forgiving. They also tend to he happier and healthier. You should make sure your kids perform their expected chores, help their siblings, and be thankful on a routine basis. If you want to reward their behavior, only do so with acts of kindness that aren't common.

The researchers explained that your child's ability to be caring may be overwhelmed due to anger, envy, shame, and other problematic feelings. It's important to teach kids to identify and process these emotions as well as promote conflict resolution strategies. It's also a good idea to set boundaries that are clear and reasonable that they know is out of your concern for their safety.

Nearly all kids are caring and empathetic to a select group of friends and family, but you want them to expand these feelings to people outside of this circle. By teaching them good listening, helping them put themselves in others' shoes, and using select moments in news and entertainment, they can be more empathetic to a wider range of people.

The researchers end their study with a short piece for parents explaining that raising ethical, respectful kids has never been an easy task. However it's something everyone is capable of doing, and the end result is the ultimate reward you can have as a parent and as a person.

If you found this information was helpful then spread the word to other parents you know so they can raise upstanding children. Don't forget to leave us a comment telling us what you think!