Raising Considerate Children in a Me-First World

 

EACH day presents people with numours opportunitys to do kind things for others.  It may appear, though, that many think only of themselves.  You see evidence of that nearly everywhere-from the shameless ways people defraud others to the aggressive way they drive, from their crude langauage to their explosive tempers.

A me-first mentality also exisists in many homes.  For example, some spouses divorse simply because one partner feels that he or she  "deserves better." Even some parents may unwittingly sow the seeds of a me-first spirit. How?By indulging their child's ever whim, while hestitaing to administer any kind of discipline.

By contrast, many other parents are training their children to put others before self, and with great benefits.  Children who are considerate are more likely to make friends and to enjoy stable relationships/  They are also more likely to be content. Why? Because, as the Bible says, "there is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." - ACTS 20:35.

If you are a parent, how can you help your children to reap the benefits of being kind and to avoid beimg contaminated by the self-absorbed  culture that surrounds them?   Consider three traps that could foster a me-first spirit in your children, and see how you can avoid those traps. 

Note: The problem with people today/society etc, think just because you did something kind for someone, they should get  medal and be deemed a hero. That is not the correct thinking. If you are going to be kind at all, it should be done from the heart naturally, not just because you were expected to do so. You have to love people  in your heart, to do something kind and helpful. And society or whoever thinks otherwise, their thinking and attitude is wrong and against God's standards. 

Next time: Raising Considerate Children in a Me-First World -1 Overpraising

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