In today’s day and age, it truly is vital to understand the importance of moral education in your child’s education. The foremost challenge most parents face these days is to provide just right moral values, and instigate definitive morally right behavior to their children, which indirectly or directly reflects on their overall education.
The fact that moral values add tremendous value to this complete education procedure of a child is actually an understatement of sorts. It is rather important for parents to understand that simply sending the child out each day to school, a music class, a swimming club etc. will not help him or her to become a morally responsible person.
So, what is considered to be overall or complete education?
Education, both theoretical and practical, which is empowered by right moral values, is considered to be complete education. In other words, it means, if children are sent to school for acquiring formal education, it simply needs polishing by teaching them ethical values, which basically is:
- Right conduct
- Socially acceptable norms and
- Right behavioral patterns
Now, it is interesting to see that all the above three are inter-related. So, if you are a parent, or going to be one soon, it is important to understand that if you teach your child the fundamentals right at home, then there is bound to be a very mentally healthy, charming and positively charged human being budding right in front of your eyes.
Let us try to understand what these moral values truly are:
- Right Conduct
This is basically the mannerism to behave in a dignified manner, no matter where a child is. Parents need to be very particular in teaching a kid, the importance of maintaining self-dignity. This could mean even simple things like not back-answering and insulting parents, or any one parent, or anyone for that matter, while being corrected.
Basic training like being polite, answering to questions when asked, not to fidget or fiddle while speaking to elders, and things like that often leads to making the child a dignified human being. Taking care of little things like these, helps a kid lead a self-respecting, dignified and happier life.
- Socially acceptable norms
These are again basic manners and mannerisms that should be maintained, irrespective of the fact whether a kid is at a public gathering like attending a friend’s birthday bash or a family get together, or for that matter, while he or she is at school, or even at home.
The fact that speaking softly, being polite and not harsh, learning the values of using the three little magic words like:
- Sorry
- Please
- Thank You right from a young age, builds up a very confident, appealing and pleasant personality, cannot be debated or denied.
- Right Behavioral Pattern
Now, the fact that behaving one’s self in the right way is certainly bottled up already in the above points is evident, however, there are other aspects that also need to be looked into. The child needs to be taught basic table manners, right from how to wish all at the table, respect for the people and the food that is being served, eat food with mouth closed; this indirectly implies showing respect for the others at the table, and even develop the habit of using napkins to wipe area around mouth every time there is some food particle stuck.
These might seem pretty mundane and silly points at the first shot, but, if followed consistently, you will begin to see a marked difference in the behavior of your child in day to day life.
In fact, these basic habits that we all took for granted, are actually values that teach to bring in self-discipline, be forgiving, which automatically is instigated when others at the table make mistakes or drop food or something like that, help develop acceptance, teach self-control, which comes with trying to keep calm and cool during meal time and also helps develop patience, which comes with waiting to get up only after others too have finished with the meal.
The desirable moral values that are very important to be inculcated in children are many. But, if parents start early, then the learning procedure is a truly wonderful one. As the child grows, there are more values that need to be taught.
Certain other important moral values that need to be taught are:
- One should be truthful
- Being humble
- Generosity counts
- To be loving and kind
- Being Understanding is the key
- Gossip shouldn’t be the food for thought
- To listen with attentiveness
- A forgiving nature
One must be reliable and develop the habit of cleanliness, importance of hygiene, be ready for change of environs like when going out for a holiday, which certainly is a form of adaptability, but it does bring in moral values like appreciation of good change that the child is able to get due to effort of parents etc.
In fact, every little effort by the parent for teaching and inculcating the right habits, manners and behavior, right from a young age, will eventually add up to the child’s complete development, and bring out the best in him or her.
Since parents are by far the first teachers of their children, the best way to impart good moral education is being gentle with a little one, not scold for little mistakes, always listen to what the child has to say and most importantly, handle every situation with compassion and understanding.
Imparting moral values and beliefs in children is actually quite relative to one’s own personal beliefs and views. However, certain basic values that adds up to making a child a very loving, compassionate and caring individual, along with the formal education with valid degrees from school, college and university truly adds in gifting society a gem, thereby making the parents, family, fraternity and society proud of the individual with all good characteristics. How technology can improve the Educational system is something that parents must adhere to as kids of Gen-Y are hooked to technology and making them soak in the essence of moral education via technology can be an enriching experience.