Let’s face it, most kids want to blend in.
They don’t want to stand out, be noticed, or get called on.
And as they get older, the peer-pressure to conform only gets stronger.
So how is it possible in today’s culture to be uncommon? To stand up for what is right? To champion others?
It’s not easy. And if it’s difficult for us, it’s even harder for our kids.
So don’t turn away when I tell you that the key to raising uncommon kids doesn’t have as much to do with them as it does you as a their parent. That’s right: the key to raising uncommon kids begins with you!
After all, our kids will learn far more from our influence than they will from our instruction.
Naturally, when we live out the principles and characteristics we want our kids to embody, they are much more likely to follow suit.
But where do we start?
Here are 3 ways to raise an uncommon kids that everyone can begin implementing today:
Lay a Foundation of Love: Create a gratitude journal.
Encourage each member of your family to create and keep a gratitude journal. For little ones, this may be as simple as having them draw a picture every day of something they’re grateful for. For teens & tweens, you may want them to use an app on their smartphone to make a daily list of one thing they’re grateful for every morning before they start their day and every evening after they return home. In our family, we take time during breakfast and dinner to have everyone share one thing their grateful for and one thing they’re praying about, and then I keep track of those lists in a shared family notebook.
Cultivate an attitude of forgiveness: Speak and share love languages.
You’d be surprised at how many conflicts you can avoid simply by recognizing someone’s love language and then speaking to them in that way. Bitterness often arises out of unmet expectations, so by making the effort to become a better communicator, you greatly reduce the chance of offending those you love in the first place!
Create a space for Compassion: Go on a family mission trip.
Research organizations that lead global mission trips for families. Your best bet is to start by looking into projects or missionary families that your own church supports. If you do sponsor a child, you’ll discover those organizations also lead a number of family mission trips throughout the year, and sometimes you can even meet your sponsored child. If you can’t afford the time or money to travel on a missions trip, contact your favorite non-profit organization to see how you can help virtually, sometimes even through sharing about them on social media.
The important thing is to start somewhere in your efforts towards compassion and start today. Just this morning, my daughter scolded me for only taking one vitamin instead of the recommended serving of four. My reply? At least I’m starting somewhere. So should be your same attitude towards combatting the status quo in your family.
If you’re not doing anything in your efforts to fight against the ‘common’ in your home, pick one of these three suggestions and start today. You just might be surprised at where you’ll find yourself tomorrow.
{About Sami Cone}
Sami Cone is a blogger (SamiCone.com), radio host & TV correspondent mentoring others to live their dream life on less and pursue their passions. She draws on her experiences as a writer, editor, university professor, performer, professional athlete, and pageant winner to help women realize their full potential in life. Sami is the author of “Raising Uncommon Kids”, is known as the “Frugal Mom” on Nashville’s top-rated talk show “Talk of the Town”, hosts the nationally syndicated “Family Money Minute”, and educates over a million listeners every morning on radio’s “Family Friendly Morning Show”. She is proud to call Nashville home with her husband of thirteen years, Rick, and their two children (a daughter & son) who are 19 months apart. They love traveling and are happy to sacrifice the “stuff” of life so that they can fuel their mission of being a family on the go together!
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{About Raising Uncommon Kids + giveaway}
The greatest lesson we teach our kids isn’t anything we say–it’s what we do.
Many parents are surprised to discover just how little we’re actually modeling the behaviors we hope to pass on–qualities such as unconditional love, gentleness, forgiveness, patience, gratitude, humility, and more. This unique book offers a fresh way to look at molding your children: by focusing more on adding good behaviors than on eliminating bad ones.
Grounding her advice in Scripture, Sami Cone shares stories from her own life to show these principles in action. And she outlines practical things you can do right now to create a home and family that exhibits love, harmony, and generosity of spirit in a self-centered world.
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