What is the Golden Rule?
“Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.” Have your children ever heard of the Golden Rule? Do they know what it is? I am talking about the Golden Rule in its positive interpretation and its relationship to respect and responsibility. (Note: some people use the Golden Rule as an excuse to justify racism and violence.) The interpretation of the Golden Rule that I am promoting teaches and practices tolerance and respect for others. It does not matter what your parenting style is. The Golden Rule fits into most parenting techniques and styles. Many religions today teach the Golden Rule in very similar forms. This is an important basic principal to live by and to pass along to our children.
How do we teach the Golden Rule to our kids? I remember one particular incident when my children and I were outside a retail store and were walking towards the main door. One of my daughters spotted a child inside the window that somehow looked different than everyone else. I don’t remember now if it was clothing or what the issue was. But the fact that she commented about the other child in a negative way caught my attention right away. I handled it the way I always handled issues like this. I asked her to imagine herself as that child, to put herself in that child’s shoes. How would she like it if other children gave her a bad time the way she was doing right now? We had a very quick conversation about it as we walked into the store. By the time we got in the door she saw the other child very differently and had completely reversed herself. That would not have happened if I had just let it go and had not initiated a discussion about it right when it happened. I did not yell at her or jump on her about it. I just asked her to put herself in the other child’s shoes for a minute and see what it felt like to be there.
- This is the interpretation of the Golden Rule that I feel is important to teach to our kids. Children need to be taught tolerance and respect towards others. And they can and do learn this when parents are consistent in their attitudes and teaching methods and continually show children what tolerance looks like and feels like.
- Some people use the Golden Rule to justify discrimination and violent behavior towards others, because other people do not believe as they do. This interpretation of the Golden Rule is very destructive and should be avoided at all costs. Parents need to focus on teaching tolerance towards others instead of intolerance.
One Key to Teaching Tolerance
There are several methods for teaching tolerance and the Golden Rule to your children. A good starting point would be to try the ideas listed below.
- One of the ways to accomplish teaching tolerance, respect, and the Golden Rule is by being an example, and talking to your children when you see things happening around you, as in my experience that I described above. If you see intolerance, don’t just remain silent. Be an example. And spend some time talking to your kids about the situation so that they understand what real tolerance and respect is.
- Things happen, weekly if not daily, that can be good times to simply talk with your children. And in the process of talking, you can share a story or two. Slide the lesson in there somewhere. Old-fashioned stories with a moral at the end can be very helpful tools.
- A really good method is to ask your child to put themselves in the other person’s shoes for a little while and see what they think it would feel like to be that other person. This works very well, because the child inevitably realizes that they would want to be treated nicely.
- Be honest and fair in everything you do, and let your kids see this example. They will learn and grow by watching you in action.
Nancy Eastman is the owner of http://parentinggoldenrule.com/ a website devoted to Golden Rule Parenting (parents teaching their children respect, responsibility, and the Golden Rule). Nancy is a mother/grandmother with many years of experience dealing with difficult stressful situations and years of experience assisting her children grow into mature responsible adults. Resources are being added to the website to assist parents with the difficult task of helping their children walk through today’s world. An ebook will be coming in the near future on the subject of Golden Rule Parenting. Check out the free resources currently on the website! There are old-time stories, games, crafts, poems, and other resources to help parents find creative ways to help their children grow.
Copyright © June 2007, All Rights Reserved, Nancy Eastman, parentinggoldenrule.com
Related Posts
-
Links
