Value Education

How do I impart the right values to my kids ? Is a question I think about everyday. 

"Kids learn a lot by observation" I then tell myself.

I have hardly read any parenting books. My parenting style is derived from my own parents, grandma, aunts, friends and some blog readings. It is evolving as I learn from my own daughter. Among the most important values that my parents inculcated in me, one of them has to be punctuality and showing up. 

I am very punctual and reach a venue before time. I take into account cab booking time , traffic time, loo time after reaching the venue etc and accordingly plan the time (including buffer time) that I will leave home .

On the occassions when my daughter and I go together , I explain her this logic of planning ahead, though she still doesn't fully understand the clock.( She is 5.5 yrs old)

I remember this incident somewhere around last July  when my daughter's online classes started.  Her class timings were 7 pm. Since evening she was asking me what is the time?Around 6:30 pm she told me, "Mumma, please help with laptop and login". I asked her why so early? 

She then told me she wants to be fully ready before her teacher joins. So I set her laptop, she was ready with her school bag and all set to say " Good Evening Teacher"

From the next day onwards she said she will have snacks and water before 6:30 as teacher told them to have food before class and not during class.Over a few weeks time, she discovered that her teacher joins at 6:57 pm. She felt 6:30 was too early to join. She was  by then fairly accustomed to her online class routine. Hence she said she would be ready with her laptop by 6:45 pm. She follows this schedule always. I do not need to nag her to be prepared on time.

Last week she fell down while playing. Her nose was bleeding and swollen. The next day she had a test. By then she was feeling okayish-   a bit of swelling was there but she could manage to write the test. She showed up and did it.

Being on time and showing up consistently are very very valuable traits to have.I don't know how talented  or intelligent I am. But I do know I get up and show up on time. I don't do too many things at a time. But what I do, I really do consistently. And I do hope, my daughter carries these traits with her as she grows up.

- Dhanashree