Special Replay: Kids Choosing Good Behavior
Are you a kid? If you had a choice of choosing good behavior over bad, which would you pick? Is that a silly question? That is what I want to talk to you about today. You are going to be very surprised when I explain some things to you so that you can take charge of your actions.
Check out this episode – Kids Making Good Decisions.
Books for tweens – Truth Seekers Mystery Series.
I love talking to kids. I think you guys are great. You have so many good ideas, you are full of energy and fun. Even those of you that are quiet have amazing things to say if someone would take the time to listen to you. I have five kids and eight grandkids and each of them is a blessing. While we might not always agree, and yes my kids messed up (but so have I), I think they are amazing people. I really wish I could see you and tell you this while I am looking at you. But you are an amazing person. You may not think you are, but I believe that God made us and He does not make junk. I want you to think about that if you really do not think you are amazing and special. You are here for a reason. So, let’s begin!
Do you know an adult in your life? Is it a mom, a dad, a grandparent, aunts, or uncles? Did you know that these adults in your life were once your age? I bet you don’t think about that often. Yes, we adults were once kids, we were teenagers, we were young adults, and we finally, after many years and possibly getting in trouble ourselves we grew up, got married and had kids of our own. We learned from our past mistakes and we want to pass on this wisdom to our kids. That is why you get in trouble. We do not want you to make small mistakes now that can turn into big mistakes later. And that means we want to teach you how to choose good behavior.
It’s not easy to do what is right all the time, because no one is perfect. Right? Well, that may be true, but we can make our lives a whole lot easier if we take charge of our own behavior. Since I can’t see you, I don’t know if you are listening. But, I’m going to challenge you. If you want a happier life, please take the time to listen. As I talk, I will ask you some questions and you can stop this recording and answer them before you hear my remarks.
I like kids who think for themselves. Do you think? Of course, you do. But do you think before you speak or act? Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t. You see the problem is when you act badly, say or do the wrong things, sometimes you get in trouble and sometimes you don’t. So you might be confused.
Let’s talk about what type of behavior gets you in trouble:
- Being disrespectful to your parents or adults (arguing, yelling, and saying, “no I didn’t do it.” when your parents clearly see you did.)
- Hitting others in your family. Many kids actually think this is fun!
- Breaking a rule. For example no snacks before dinner.
- Forgetting to do a chore or something your parent asked you to do.
- For homeschoolers – losing a book or not completing your schoolwork.
Now, let’s take each of these things and talk about what won’t get you in trouble.
- Being respectful to your parents. If you mess up, saying you are sorry or taking responsibility for your actions.
- Keeping your hands, feet–you know, general body parts to your self.
- Following the rules.
- Remembering to do your chores or follow through if your parents ask you to do something.
- Keeping your books together and finishing your schoolwork.
Wow, that was easy. Just be respectful, keep your hands to yourself, follow the rules, do your chores, and finish your schoolwork. So, what am I missing? How many of you think you can do this? Hmm… why or why not. Let’s think about this. Will life be easier and happier when you do what is right? Of course.
Choosing Good Behavior: You Are Not A Puppet.
Do you know what a puppet is? A puppet is controlled by someone else. The puppet has can’t think for itself or do something it wants to do on its own. Maybe you have never seen a puppet, but you know what I am talking about. A puppet has no free will. You on the other hand have free will. You can make decisions, you have a choice. You can decide to be the kind of person you want to be. Right? Do you agree? If not, why not?
Do you want to know what I think? I think there are many reasons why kids get in trouble.
- Laziness. Sometimes it is easier to not obey.
- React out of anger or because you are upset.
- Don’t think about the consequences. If you do something wrong what will happen?
- You are a gambler. What does that mean? A gambler takes chances. You know what you are doing wrong and you hope that you either won’t get caught OR if you do get caught the punishment won’t be bad, or maybe you are hoping for no punishment at all.
- Simpy forget to do what you are supposed to do. And one reason this happens? You really don’t care.
Did I forget anything? Is there another reason I did not list as to why you get in trouble?
I think the reason most of us get into trouble is that we do not consider what will happen afterward. This is called cause and effect. If I drop a glass on a hard surface, like concrete on purpose what will happen? If you said break, you are correct. We know glass sometimes shatters. Not all glasses but most. Have you ever dropped a glass? Or spilled milk or water? Sure, everyone has accidents. The cause of the incident – in this case, the glass breaking was done on purpose. The effect of my dropping the glass is it breaks. What about the accident? That is different. If we did not mean to do something then while the cause is the same – we are at fault or we did it (we dropped the glass) the motivation – or the why we did it is different.
So, let’s break this down.
- Things happen because we cause them. On purpose or by accident.
- We can sometimes control our actions or words and sometimes it is truly an accident.
- If we can control our words or actions, that means we are in charge.
- If we are in charge and are in control we can choose right or wrong. Because, hey, we are not a puppet.
- If we have a choice, which will we do?
So, there you have it. Choosing good behavior is up to you. You are not a puppet. You can make your own decisions. And, I for one hope you decide today, right now to make good choices. Think about what will happen if you make a good choice and what will happen if you make a bad choice. The decision is up to you! If you mess up and make a mistake apologize. That is different than saying you are sorry and not really meaning it. You should ask my kids how many apology notes I have written over the year.
One last thing to think about. Do you want to be around people who always get in trouble? Do you want to listen to people who do the wrong thing on purpose, or just because they think it is fun to have everyone yelling or arguing? Some people actually like to cause trouble. If you would not follow someone like that, then you should be the person God created you to be–and that means making choices that are wise.
One more thing – I have more shows planned just for you this month. So, stay tuned!
The post Kids Choosing Good Behavior – Special Replay appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.
VHM-408-Kids-And-Choices.mp3 (13:40, 21MB)