Paula Balzer - Words You Should Teach Your Children: From Character and Confidence to Patience and Peace, 200 Essential Words for Raising Your Children

From Character and Confidence
to Patience and Peace

To Peter & Junefor teaching me the real meaning of love, happiness, and fun.

One of the best things about writing a book is that you get the opportunity to publicly thank everyone who made it possible. Thank you to everyone at Adams Media, notably Ross Weisman, Brendan ONeill, and Katie Corcoran Lytle. Thank you to my family (the Balzers, Vitales, and the Loderhose clan), and the friends who make my life as a parent easier, especially after moving to a new place: Jill Penman, Michele Bloom, Jess Parsons, David Halpern, Billy Kingsland, Stephen Serwin, Dena Koklanaris, Maya Baran, Nazie Furst, Heather Hamilton, Mame Hogan, and Jennifer and Jason Levesque. And of course, Peter and June.

Do you want your children to treat others with respect, humility, and gratitude?

Do you want your children to have a good sense of responsibility, integrity, and conviction?

Do you want your children to have confidence, a good sense of humor, and a good amount of motivation?

Of course you do! Youre a parent and you want your kids to grow up into kind, generous, well-rounded individuals who value your family and their friends and care for others. But how do you make sure youre raising strong, well-adjusted, loyal, happy children? You can start by talking to your kids about the things that are important to you and making sure that they understand the true meaning of words that adults use to express love, fear, faith, and other crucial ideas.

In Words You Should Teach Your Children, youll find 200 words that will help you teach your kids about the important concepts that make us better people by clearly defining the words that they need to know. Each entry contains a pronunciation guide, the words definition and part of speech, a sample sentence, and information on why that particular word is one that your children should understand and embody as they grow. Use these words when you chat with your kids and reinforce the ideas behind them in the ways that you show your affection to others, interact with your neighbors, and ultimately live your life. As a parent, you are your childs first and most important teacher and you have a lot of teaching to do. So enjoy it. Your children are only young once!

noun

Success in a particular area after exerting great effort.

Finishing my school report on birds after weeks of work felt like a major ACHIEVEMENT.

When you think of the word achievement, its easy to think of major milestones: graduation, acceptance to college, or a first job. While these are important achievements, be sure to enjoy all the little ones along the way. Praise your child for learning to catch a baseball, learning the alphabet, or riding a bike for the first time. Its certainly easy to remember graduation day, but you wont remember the joy on your childs face as he hits his first baseball unless you specifically make a point to. These are treasured memories and youll be glad to have them. If your child is able to understand and recognize that his achievementsbig and smallare something to be proud of and strive for, hell be more likely than ever to put extra effort into reaching his goals.

verb

To show awareness or express thanks for someones behavior.

Im always sure to ACKNOWLEDGE my friends when they do something special for me.

Adults know how pleasant it is to be acknowledged. Whether someone comments on a job well done at work, or notices a new haircutits nice to know that others are aware of us. Its easy to acknowledge a childs accomplishmentslike a good grade, a ballet recitaland its also easy to acknowledge their bad behavior. Make it a point to positively acknowledge your child frequently. Comment on how you appreciate the way she remembers to say good morning or that you like the shirt she chose to wear. Your child will feel appreciated, and will soon learn to extend such courtesies to others.

verb

To view another person or object with pleasure and approval.

I really ADMIRE my soccer coachshes such a talented player.

Adults admire people for their intelligence, passion, and talent. You may find that your child admires someone completely different every day. One day it might be you, the next day a teacher or superhero. Talk to your children about the qualities you admire in other people. Show them that there are specific traits that make a person deserving of your praise. Talk about the value of intelligence, passion, kindness, and innovation. Your children will soon begin to understand what makes a person admirable, and will make good choices about whom they choose to admire.

noun

An unusual and sometimes daring experience.

I had never slept in the woods before, so camping with my family felt like a true ADVENTURE.

Children love a good adventure, and the good thing about planning an adventure for children is that you can plan anything that feels different from their regular routine. For example, eating a picnic dinner in your backyard will feel like an adventure to a young child. You can let your kids build a fort in the attic, or take them for a walk in the country. Teaching your children that an adventure of any kind is a positive experienceand not something to be fearedwill boost their confidence as they venture into the world on their own.

adjective

Feeling mad, either at someone else or about a particular situation.

I cant help but feel ANGRY when things dont go my way at school.

Anger is unavoidable and can be brought on by anything
losing your keys, forgetting a file at the office, or being hurt by a family member or friend. Your child may be angry about not getting a part in the school play, being excluded in the lunch room, or about losing an important soccer game. You need to show your children that, while anger is normal, its important to let go of the things that make us angry. Children feel anger quickly, both on the playground and at home when they dont get their way; luckily, children naturally get over their anger just as quickly. Be sure to help your children hold on to this quality by showing them how to move on and forgive when something makes them angry.

noun

Words or actions that show you are sorry for something you said or did.

I owe my mother an APOLOGY for not being a good listener yesterday.

Saying youre sorry isnt easy for anyoneespecially children. You can start teaching them to apologize by setting an example. We all have difficult moments as parents, and you should not hesitate to apologize for your behavior when necessary. Its also helpful to show children that a heartfelt apology can make a friend or family member feel much better. Children make mistakes, as we all dothey forget to share, dont always take turnsand feelings are easily hurt. Let them see how such actions can be remedied with a simple Im sorry.