The year 2001 is the Year of the Books, and January was National Book Month. The year 2001 is also the Year of the Child, and the month of February, Heart Month, is also National Children's month. Children can come up with pearls of wisdom that simply seem so amazing. I will share with you the wisdom of children who were asked by a teacher to write advice to their parents on how to raise children.
1. Don't give me everything I ask for. Sometimes I am just testing you to see how much I can get. 2. Don't always be giving orders. If you suggest something instead of giving a command, I will do it faster. 3. Don't keep changing your mind about what you want me to do. Make up your mind and stick to it. 4. Keep promises, both good and bad. If you promise a reward, make sure you give it to me. If you promise a punishment, make sure I get that too. 5. Don't compare me with anybody else, especially if the comparison will hurt somebody's feelings. I don't want to be considered smarter than anybody else, because it will hurt that person's feelings. If you make me out to be dumber than somebody else, then it will hurt my feelings. 6. Let me do as much for myself as I can. That's how I learn. If you do everything for me, I will never be able to do anything for myself. 7. Don't correct my mistakes in front of other people. Tell me how to improve when nobody is around. 8. Don't scream at me. It makes me scream back, and I don't want to be a screamer. Screamers sound awful. 9. Don't tell lies in front of me, or ask me to tell lies to help you out. It makes me think less of you and less of myself, even if I am supposed to be doing you a favor. 10. When I do something wrong, don't try to get me to tell you why I did it. Sometimes I don't know why myself. 11. Don't pay too much attention to me when I say I have a stomach ache. Playing sick can be a good way to get out of doing things I don't want to do, or going places I don't want to go. Make sure it's real. 12. When you are wrong about something, admit it. It won't hurt my opinion of you. It will make it easier for me to admit it when I'm wrong 13. Treat me like you would treat a friend. Then I will be your friend and you w be mine. Just because people are related does not mean they can't be polite and nice to each other.
Can you guess how old these students were who wrote these 13 commandments? (not just 10!) They were in the fourth grade and ages 8 and 9 years old. What can I say? The children have given us their pearls of wisdom on how to raise children. All I can say is thanks to the children who made this first column in Heart Month so special.
"The price of greatness is responsibility." Winston Churchill
Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Dr. Luetta G Werner
Published in the Marion Record February 1st, 2001
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Till next time,
Trina