Today’s guest blogger is Sara from My Rural Mommy!!!  She writes a variety of posts that are always something worthy of my time to read.  That’s saying a lot now isn’t it?  She’s really quite amazing…   Today she shares some excellent values I believe we ALL want to teach our children.  Take a look and share with her all your support and any other values you find worthy of teaching your kids…

Five Values I Hope To Teach My Children…

As parents we are responsible for so much. Our little ones rely on us for EVERYTHING! We feed them, clothe them, nurture them, keep them safe from harm. They look to us to set examples. So many times I find myself wondering how on earth am I going to raise three successful and well adjusted girls in such a crazy and sometimes unstable society?

Well, it boils down to this. One of the most important things we can do for our children, in my opinion, is to instill in them a strong value system. While I realize that environment plays a part in their development I am doing my best to give them the tools that they will need later in life to cope with difficult situations. Above all else, I strive to teach them the core traits needed to simply be a good person.

 Be kind to others

Now this may seem pretty obvious but there are times when I catch myself saying something negative about someone else while in the presence of my kids. Remember the old saying, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”? They learn by watching us. I try to be incredibly mindful of the words I use in front my girls. The plain fact is, being mean is hurtful. It is unnecessary and only reflects negatively on you. The world would be a much happier and healthier place if everyone could just put aside the hate and simply BE NICE to one another. It. Just. Feels. Good.

 Have a positive outlook

We all have bad days, myself included. However, it is how we choose to deal with those struggles that can define us as a person. I am typically a pretty “glass half full” kind of gal. Always looking for the silver lining almost to a fault. Why waste your energy on dwelling on the negative in a situation? It certainly isn’t going to change anything and only makes you feel worse. A very wise friend of mine once said, “You can’t always control the situation but you can ALWAYS control your reaction to it.”

 Be tolerant

One of my grandfather’s favorite words was tolerance. I can’t tell you how many times I heard him say, “You should always be a tolerant person.” As you go through life it is inevitable that you will come across people and views that you will disagree with. Just because you disagree with someone does not make you any better or worse than them. In fact, having different views is part of what makes our country so great. It is OKAY have discussion and debate. It’s healthy, as long as you control your anger, focus on points of agreement, and sometimes agree to disagree.

 Take responsibility for your actions

This one is huge for me! I can’t tell you how much it irks me to hear someone place blame and make excuses for their own mistakes. You make your own decisions and in the occasion that you make the wrong one (because you will make wrong ones) own up to it! We all make mistakes. It is what makes us human. What’s important is that you apologize, correct your actions, learn from your mistakes, and move on. It’s part of growing as a person and will make you a better one for it!

 Always be yourself

Throughout life you will come across people that will expect things of you. Whether it be friends, coworkers, family members, etc. Sometimes these expectations will be uncomfortable. Don’t ever sacrifice your beliefs or values to please others. Be true to yourself. You will find in life that others will respect you more for being strong and not compromising yourself. These are just a small few of the values that I hope to teach my children. At the end of the day all I can do as a mom is to guide them down the right path. My only hope is that my girls will use the tools that my husband and I have given them throughout their upbringing to make smart decisions. Sure, they will stumble at times but I am confident that they will learn to pick themselves up, brush themselves off grow with each life lesson learned..

What values do you strive to teach your children?

  “Sara is a busy mom, wife and blogger who shares her parenting struggles and successes at My Rural Mommy. When she’s not wrangling a baby, a toddler or a tween you will probably find her drinking too much coffee and hanging out on Twitter @myruralmommy.”

If you liked this post then check out The Teachable Mom post My Big, Wide Road.