Since ethics deal with the formation and expression of character, there is no better place to begin their development than in the family home. This is the crucible in which the early stages of children's character development take place. In fact, this process could be viewed from the perspective of parental responsibility in molding and shaping the minds of the children they bring into the world. Parents are responsible for building ethics and morality into their children. This will stand them in good stead for the remainder of their adult lives and make them able to contribute to an orderly and peaceful society. Conversation with children is a fantastic way to impart ethical standards, and parents need to seize every opportunity. Young developing minds have an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and a lot of the knowledge our kids need can be imparted by appropriate conversation. The biblical example is one of parents who talk with their children in order to impart God's ethical standards: ". . . you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:7). This means at each and every opportunity. It is important for children to realize that they are a part of something much bigger and greater than themselves. If a home is child centered, then the child learns to focus on personal wants and desires without consideration for how others feel or what their needs might be. What is a child-centered home? A child-centered home places the interests and activities of the child at the center around which the adult members of the family revolve. The adults submit their activities (and conversations) to that of the child. However, when child-centered homes become family-centered homes, society reaps the benefits and rewards. This is beautifully demonstrated in an article by syndicated columnist and author Betsy Hart in which she recounts a recent discussion between Jeff Zaslow of The Wall Street Journal and Manhattan-based child psychiatrist Alvin Rosenfield. Rosenfield studies family relationships and their interaction.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Peter Verhoeff
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