Kids With Great Character

Everyone hopes for kids with great character. Your kids are growing up in a time when there are no real heroes to look up to. When asked about their favorite heroes, your kids will name a sports hero, rock star, or movie/television star.

These modern day heroes may be great at what they do, but their characters might not be admirable! It is up to you to teach your kids the values that make up real heroes, and model what it means to serve others!

I wanted to share a simple idea with you on how to do this, that was life changing for my family. We home schooled both of our boys until high school, and this was our favorite study in our 12 year homeschooling journey!

We studied a book called, "Heroes - People who Made a Difference in Our World", by Dr. Harold J. Sala. It was an amazing book, where we learned about 100 different heroes in our world, who would never probably be written up in People Magazine. They were each extraordinary, and real heroes, who displayed courage and great character!

I would encourage each of you to buy this book, and after your meal, 2 or 3 times per week, read about one of these characters and discuss the story. The heroes are grouped according to character qualities like, courage, devotion, excellence, loneliness, obedience, faith, focus, humility.....etc.

It is an amazing book that includes the story, a short bible reading about the character quality, an insight thought, and also a couple of application questions to spur discussion. My kids were in junior high when we did this.

I wanted them to read the story and do a write up daily so I simplified it a bit, and these were the questions that they answered:

• Who was this person?


• What was their strategy for success?


• Tell something that impressed you from the story?


• Tell something that you can relate to your own life?

*****

We studied these famous heroes for an entire year, and we were all changed! We began to look for small ways that we could be involved, and change our world. It is up to you to instill these same values in your kids, because ultimately money, clothes, being skinny, great food, snacks, desserts, or being popular don’t bring true happiness to your kids, any more than they do for you.

The healthy diet habit is: kids need to be filled up with lots of examples of what it means to be a real hero! The lifestyle solution is that you as a parent are in the best position to teach your kids what it means to be a real hero, and it is not being the best athlete on the team!