Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Top 10 Tuesday: Things I'll teach my child(ren)



No, I’m not preggers! But being an elementary school teacher, and dealing with all types of rascals every day, I’ve been forced to think about how I would raise my kids one day, and what type of person I want them to grow into.

Dear future child of mine

To avoid you being that kid at school that all the teachers despise, and to ensure that you grow into a respected individual, I’ve created this list of guidelines, or tips if you will, that will help you on your journey of becoming the best possible person you can be.


1. Treat others how you want to be treated
Yes, it's that simple. Always be considerate of others, and how your words or actions might affect them.


2. Be independent
No one has respect for a lazy, dependent moocher. Stand on your own two feet, and learn how to take care of yourself. Earn your own money and have pride in your work.


3. Be yourself
Don’t follow the crowd. Always listen to others’ opinions, but make sure you have your own. Be true to yourself and what makes YOU happy. In the words of Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken”. 


4. Take care of your mind and body
Make sure you exercise regularly, take pride in your appearance and eat healthily. (But never deprive yourself of anything, you will be very unhappy.) "Balance" and "moderation" are the key words here. 


5. Respect others, but most importantly yourself
If you don’t respect yourself, no one else will. Have high standards for yourself and know your worth. Second best is not good enough for you if you know what you deserve. Never lower your standards to accommodate someone else in your life.


6. Find your passion
Out there in the world is something that you will be passionate about. Don’t stop until you’ve found it. When you do find it, spend your time learning more about it, practicing it, and enjoying it.


7. Be positive and thankful
No one wants to be around Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer. Yes, the world can be a terrible place, but try to always see the positive in life, and find solutions to problems instead of dwelling on them. Be thankful for your blessings.


8. Give second chances, but not third
We’re all human and we all make mistakes. Forgive and forget. I know some mistakes are bigger and might be unforgivable, and you will have to use your own discretion. But, never give third chances. (see #5) If that person really cares about you, and value you in their life, they wouldn’t screw up again.


9. Surround yourself with enthusiastic, positive and inspirational people
Some people will build you up, make you better, or at least inspire you to be better. But unfortunately, there are the ones that will drag you down and drain the life and soul out of you. That said, never leave a friend behind, not if you haven’t tried everything possible to help them out. Avoid jealous, superficial and pretentious people. Don’t waste time and energy on people that don’t treat you right. That precious time is for the ones that you love and care about you, the ones who feel the same about you.


10. Travel as much as possible 
Traveling is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Nothing else can ever make you learn more about yourself, and make you grow more as a person.  "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" (St. Augustine)

19 comments:

  1. Ditto, girl! I don't have any children (and may very well never have any). But if I did, I would want to teach them these same lessons. It seems to me that many parents these days aren't at all concerned with what kind of people their children will grow up to be. Or at least they don't do anything to influence them to grow up into good, caring, responsible, independent, and somewhat well rounded adults. This would be VERY important to me if I were a parent. I love this post!

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Kristen. You're right, some parents are so indifferent to who their kids will grow up to be.

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  2. Awesome tips Liesl! You should totally turn this into a poster. Definitely something I'll be teaching my future kids:-)

    XO Kelley
    http://www.keepsittingpretty.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks! Maybe I should make a poster, not a bad idea! :-)

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  3. Couldn't have said it better myself. You'll have wonderful children.

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  4. And Kmoomie will spoil them rotten.......

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  5. I think those are great things to remind a lot of adults too!

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  6. I need to bookmark this post to refer to in a few years when I have kiddos. Thanks for sharing! :)

    xoxo

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  7. Bwa ha ha, I love that you described some kids as lazy moochers. You win. (& it is so true!) When I was subbing I was in a couple classrooms where the ENTIRE class was incapable of independence for even a moment. Exhausting day.

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    1. I have similar experiences almost every day. I blame the parents mostly.

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  8. This was lovely. I'm no where near close to event hinking about having kids anytime soon, but I often make mental notes of lessons I want to teach my children. Thanks for sharing yours!

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  9. #1 could cause so many changes in the world if more people would do it.

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