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families, have everything they want, but receive little parental supervision. These children have the highest chance of becoming unwholesome. Children of Type IV families receive continuous knowledge and moral training from their parents. The parents never leave their children to the mercy of nature. Even though they may not be wealthy, their children have the ability to develop a solid future. **Knowledge in Raising Children** There exists a set of basic Buddhist principles on how to raise children to be smart and well behaved. These principles can be found in a book entitled, “How to Raise the Children to Be Good People for the Nation,” written by The Moral Development through Education Foundation. We asked for their permission to share their teachings in this book. The reader may refer to that book if further details are required. Parents can consider having a baby if they can clearly address these 4 points: 1. What qualities must good children have? 2. How do children form good or bad habits? 3. How can parents successfully cultivate good habits in their children? The Warm Hearted Family 102 Raising Children to Be Smart and Virtuous **4. How does wholesomeness promote intelligence in children?** Parents must be aware of and capable of answering these four questions before having a baby. The answers come from the Lord Buddha’s teachings: **What Qualities do Good Children Have?** Good children must have three characteristics, which are taken from the three supreme characteristics of the Lord Buddha: 1. Wholesome or not being troublesome (The Lord Buddha’s absolute purity) 2. Smart or not being ignorant (The Lord Buddha’s supreme wisdom) 3. Demonstrating care towards others (The Lord Buddha’s ultimate compassion) Any child who possesses these three characteristics is considered a *Good Child*. This child is then a good vessel for receiving knowledge from teachers and relatives. These characteristics form a platform from which more virtues can develop, similar to rich and fertile soil that allows a plant to develop well. The Warm Hearted Family 103 Raising Children to Be Smart and Virtuous