Part 4: Building Character

God, do I have to do everything?! WikiHow are you seriously telling me that as well as sustaining my child with food and water, educating them and loving them I also have to build their character? How do I do that again?

Do Not Reduce Character Education To Words Alone: This is a little vague, but what I’m getting here is a ‘practice what you preach’ idea. As if I had another choice. The only person faster than my toddler to figure out when I’m not following my own rules is… actually there is nobody faster.

Be A Good Role Model: I understand that you’re saying here, but I’m still a good role model as long as all the bad stuff I do is after bedtime right?

Develop An Ear And Eye For What Your Children Are Absorbing: WikiHow you are blowing my mind right now. “Children are like sponges”, really? I never knew that, but it totally explains how my toddler learned to swear like a drunken sailor.

Teach Good Manners: It turns out, according to the parenting experts at WikiHow, that “good manners will follow your children the rest of their lives”. I pity them already.

Only Use Words You Want Your Children To Use: Well, I think we’ve all failed this one already.

Teach Your Children To Have Empathy For Others: Are you sure this is how it works? Because I was under the impression that good parenting involved laughing uproariously when other people failed. Especially when they fell over. That’s always funny.

Teach Your Children To Be Grateful: Being grateful is apparently not the same as forcing them to say thank you, but as I can barely manage the former, I’m pretty sure the latter is way out of reach.

Now, I feel more educated already! Even more so when I read the wee disclaimer at the bottom of the article that says, “Read “how to” books with caution. Today’s fad in child rearing may be tomorrow’s headline article on the mistakes it precipitated.”

Is that so?