Contrary to some things I may have said last week, the kids and I had a really good conversation last night at dinner. We have a poster hanging behind the bench in the dining room that they bring up on occasion. It's the poster I got last year when I reviewed the We Choose Virtues program initially. The kids frequently ask which virtue we are working on this week. My response is always that we should be working on all of them, all the time!
This time around I had a better answer, though. I asked the kids which virtues they thought we should be working on. They started to debate as if there was one right answer and I stopped them. I re-explained that my purpose was for them to decide which one thing they really wanted to focus on for a while.
Then I pulled out the new Parenting Cards that We Choose Virtues sent me. These cards are great! They have a picture, definition, and scripture verse for each of the 12 virtues on the front. On the back they have parental instructions, challenges, and teachable moments.
After Henry was done explaining to me why he thought honesty was the most important virtue, I got out Hockey Stick Nick's card and read his back story. It's about a boy who loves hockey so much that one rainy day he chooses to play indoors. When he accidentally sends a hockey puck through the kitchen, he has to decide what to tell his mom. Spoiler alert: It's the truth!
One of my favorite parts of the whole We Choose Virtues system is the caterpillar/butterfly explanation. This program uses the imagery of caterpillars and butterflies to help kids understand the importance of growing and changing. There's nothing wrong with caterpillars, but that's not the state they are meant to stay in. Caterpillars are meant to grow and go through stages to become beautiful butterflies. So too must we, grow and change to become all that our creator has intended for us to be.
Frances told me she wants to work on being gentle. At first this surprised me because she's not a very physical kid. I asked her to explain and her words revealed that she recognizes that her words are, on occasion, more harsh than she means for them to be. It was a very introspective assessment and not at all what I was thinking she would choose. It made me very glad that I had through out the question to them first.
It was also humbling because being gentle is what I had chosen to work on for myself. Actually, for the same reasons she listed. That came with the extra reminder that our children learn so much from us; and not always what we are hoping they will learn.
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| This may or may not be the card I was hoping we could all work on! |
On the Gentle card, Gerbil and Jill remind us that Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns anger away. But mean words stir up anger." This is perfect for my new mantra!
I haven't mentioned Benjamin's chosen virtue yet. He's only 5, so his greatest benefit from this program is watching his parents and siblings. However, he chose to focus on forgiveness. We'll see how that plays out over the next few weeks. Again, it's not what I would have chosen for him, but maybe there's more at work here than I know about.
These cards are available from We Choose Virtues along with the rest of the We Choose Virtues program. The program is available in a Christian version with scripture verses (NIrV or King James translation) or in a secular version. They are also available in Spanish. They are great for a public school classroom, homeschool classroom, or home. My blog readers can receive a 20% discount with the code: VIRTUEBLOG
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