This was a very scary realization to my husband and I. We sat down and thought about how impatient and unorganized we really were. Face it, we can't all be one of the Cleavers, but we don't have to be part of the Simpson family either! Together, we tried to concentrate on the traits that we thought were essential to being a good person and a successful adult. Our favorite hands-on idea is to write down every positive trait you can think of together on index cards. Here's the Printer Friendly Version of the Traits we came up with.

Starting with the easier characteristics to explain, begin attaching them with safety pins to your children’s shirts when they demonstrate a certain trait. It may take a little while for it to stick, but soon your children will wear these badges proudly, displaying them for all to see, including dad when he gets home from work! This game can turn into a great way to help your homeschoolers understand what positive traits are and how to truly make them a part of their character.

When my sister introduced this game to her kids, it didn’t take long for them to remind her that her patience needed work too, and if she worked on her sense of humor it would be easier to see how funny the dog covered in red paint really was. Be sure dad is involved with this activity. He may not spend as much time with the kids as you, but there is always enough time to reward a child for good behavior.

How to protect your Homeschooler...
Keeping your children at home definitely helps you control what’s a part of your children’s lives. You and your spouse may be the main role models, but you aren't the only ones. Your children will observe every man, woman, child, television show, and computer screen. They’ll take pieces and parts from people around them to get a better understanding of who they want to be. Here's a great example of that:

Older neighbor kids were a problem with my son. He was an only child and hadn't spent a lot of time with other children yet. He was young and tough, so when the kids pushed him around a little it didn't bother him a bit. He figured it was just the you play with other kids. Well, all of a sudden my gentle little boy was pushing down every child he would play with! It took us months to reverse the damage done in a day of horseplay. Keep your eyes open to who is spending time with your children!

As for mom and dad, keep your tempers under control when possible, smile, have fun, laugh a lot, and just try to be good people. You will be great role models for your children!

Happy Homeschooling!


Kristi

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