Heart4kidsadvocacyforum's Blog

I wrote a blog this week entitled “Whose Footsteps are Worthy of You Following on Your

Divine Life’s Journey?  It was a reflection on the principles that I strive to demonstrate or execute in my life. As for me I have found that the principles that Christ called us to emulate resonate with me.  These simple elements in His character are what I strive to demonstrate in my own life, and they are the principles by which I raised my child, engage with my family, friends, or strangers I encounter on my path.  I demonstrated these elements in my “purpose” career when I taught teachers to teach children and when I work in advocacy for children and parents.  The principles are simple and straight forward. 

So many times, I have people who ask me to address the current condition of how our children are interacting in the world with negative behavior that sometimes evolves into violent acts of crime and destruction.  They ask me why the children now seem to have no respect for anyone or anything.  I am giving that concern some real inner conversation and deliberation.  I see what they are referring to and I know where some of the anger and pain is coming from.  I hear my mother saying to me since childhood, “Start out the way you want to end up”!

 We as parents and caregivers lay the foundation for how our children will respond to the world and ultimately how the world will respond to them if they don’t have the social emotional development and the social graces to navigate this unforgiving world.  It is true when it is said that with children-“all eyes are on us” their parents and caregivers.  They have so many expectations for who we are to them, the family they represent, their community, and most importantly to who they are authentically to and for ourselves.  They pick up on all the nuisances of who we are and what our human limitations are.  As children, they don’t get the full picture, but they do begin to imitate what they see us do and what they hear us say.  Actually, at times it can be like looking on a mirror and that can be frightening but the reveal can be our saving grace. Every parent has to decide what character “tools” they want their child to have to honor and respect themselves and others on their “divine journey”.  These are the elements that I have tried to demonstrate that resonate with my soul expression:

1. Compassionate
2. In service to humanity-Selflessness
3. Loving Unconditionally
4. Forgiving
5. Gentleness
6. Patience
7. Humble
8. Agent of Peace
9. Honest and Trustworthy
10. Dependable
11. Grateful
12. Generous
13. Thoughtfulness
14. Reverence
15. Discernment- Wisdom