• Love
• Respect
• Kindness
• Honesty
• Self-Worth
• Patience
• Faith
• Fairness
• Humility
• Forgiveness

It is increasingly difficult to teach our children values in our multi-media consumer driven society that broadcasts consumerism, disrespect and violence. Here are some ideas to teach values to your children:

• Create family rituals that build values. Bedtime is a wonderful opportunity for endless discussions that will float in their dreams. See our section on Family Rituals and our Interview with Nancy Bradshaw for more information.
• Ask your kids questions or read books that encourage a discussion of values. Bring up discussions of values at the dinner table. Don't only talk about values when something goes wrong. Try not to lecture. Notice when your child makes good value decisions.
• Look at the values of the people in your child's life. Get to know your child's babysitter, teachers and friends. Get to know the parents of your child's friends. Encourage friendships with families of similar values.
• Teach through your own life stories. Children love hearing about your own life. Weave into your stories lessons and values that you have learned. Let them know you are learning and making mistakes too.
• Monitor and limit their exposure to television and video games. Many of today's programs do not reflect values we hold. Children characters are often disrespectful toward authority and promote materialism and vanity. Many shows portray offensive language and violence. Video games can be horrible. The best thing is to watch the show with your child to see if it is one that you approve of. Talk with your child about the values portrayed in the show and why or why not they should watch it. Advertising directed at children is wrong and promotes consumerism. Teach your child that it is wrong. The average family spends over four hours each day watching television. Use some of this extra time to create constructive family rituals. Check out our TV Video Game Free Challenge for more ideas to limit your screen time. It's easier that you think!
• Live what you preach. Live your own life according to the values you are teaching your children. Remember you are their role model.