Yesterday I was up by 5am and had to leave home as early as 6am, because I had too much to do in only 24 hours’ time. But before I could rush out of the house, I woke my daughter and informed her that I had borrowed her water bottle. Was that really necessary? Yes!
I assume every parent would love to teach their children all kinds of lessons like, love your neighbor, sharing is caring, respect people’s property and privacy and so forth. Well, it’s only right you start with such little gestures. Show that it starts with you from ‘now’ and not ‘later’ on in life.
You also prove your point by practising what you preach. I in all honesty respect my children’s property just the same way I would do to any other person’s property. I will not just take my daughter’s water bottle without seeking her permission and hypocritically go on and on preaching the gospel of “Respect “.
The first step in teaching your children to live by the Golden Rule is, of course, to live by it yourself. Model the values you want your children to develop. This means throwing your trash in a can instead of on the ground, putting grocery carts away instead of leaving them abandoned in the parking lot, and not using vulgar words at any time.
Quick rules
Some of the concrete rules you can give your children that will help them learn to respect other people’s property are:
*Ask before borrowing something, instead of taking it without permission
*If you do borrow something, take care of it as if it were your own
*If you break something, own up to it with an apology, then repair or replace it. This particular one, my mother taught me so well. I remember one time I broke her favourite cup and begged everyone at home to call her, so that I inform her before she gets home (I was certain that her anger would have cooled down by the time she got home).
You may need to remind older children that respecting people’s property includes intellectual property. In other words, don’t let any pirates into your house. It is not respectful or right to download or copy music, software, or movies without authorisation or even go through someone else’s phone.
Eventually, they will absorb the general idea and develop their own radar so you won’t have to remind them all the time of what appropriate behaviour looks like. The simple rule should be: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Teach your children this rule, and teach them to live by it every day. I surely believe that so far so good with my children.