Teaching your child by example is an excellent way to impart a life lesson. For example, if you accuse your child of taking something valuable that you misplaced and then you find said valuable, make it a point to tell your child you found it and apologize for wrongly accusing him/her. Saying I'm sorry  to your child does not negate your authority. It will teach them that it’s OK to make mistakes and to apologize when they do. If we are accountable, our children will learn that accountability is the "rule"  and they will naturally accept that rule. We are teaching our kids how to behave every moment. They watch and see everything we do.

At every parent teacher conference I've attended for my kids, I make it a point to ask about my child's citizenship and how she behaves with her peers. This, to me, is equally as important as learning academics in a school environment and a good, caring teacher will have rules for the classroom that teach children to behave with respect for their fellow students and hopefully, to be accountable for themselves.

© Rexanne Mancini - 2008

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Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com - http://www.rexanne.com - Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne's Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

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