Be a Good Role Model for Children : หน้า 67/207

Be a good role model for the children to observe The first factor is the most difficult because many parents do not realize how influential they are to their children. Before we can begin to be good role models, we need to take stock of our good qualities. The Lord Buddha gave us the Five Precepts as an instrument to measure the worthiness of a human being. In today's society many people cannot even maintain the Five Precepts, so how can we be good role models for our children? If parents come to the conclusion that their children are not as good as they could be, the parents must reflect upon where that bad behavior came from. Children are like clean slates, most of them do not know what is correct. When children speak impolitely, it is because they remembered it from their parents. If we want to train our children to be good people, their parents must create a good moral foundation by teaching them the Five Precepts, and maintaining those precepts to be good role models. But in the present day we say, "If you love your cows, tie them. If you love your children, spend time with them." Since children read books, we should take great care in selecting them. If they want to read comics or biology, we must read along with them. One problem that we see today is violent video and computer games. We must be vigilant and spend time with our children. We must give them love and affection. If we say that we do not have the time, then our lives are only half-lived. Our lives were not meant only for working; we must have time for ourselves and our family. We must set aside time to go to the book store with our children, let them select their own books, and observe their behavior from a distance. Sometimes we have to provide them with information to help in the decision-making process. As they grow older your lessons will help them select only good books. Find good books for the children to read Our ancestors used to say, "If you love your cows, you must tie them. If you love your children; you must spank them." Find a good teacher to teach the children The subject of teachers is an extremely important one because they are the strongest outside influences that promote virtues in children. Since we are not with the teachers at school all day, we need to be able to assess them. We do not necessarily need a world-renowned school for our children The Warm Hearted Family 132 Raising Our Children to be Good People The Warm Hearted Family 133 Raising Our Children to be Good People