by Jeff Mount

Created on: February 11, 2009

Fathers: The best way to teach your son about love is to set a good example by being a loving human being yourself. The way you treat people will most likely be the way that they treat people. So, tread lightly with your actions and reactions, realizing that the smallest act can have long term effects on your child. Here are some other tips to help teach your son about love:

> Show affection.

Our own fathers might not have been overly affectionate due to the stereotypes about men showing feelings in the past, but rise above this tendency and show your child how much you love them by hugging them often and telling them how much you love them frequently.

> Don't show prejudice towards any group of people.

Hate is contagious. Teach your child to love people rather than hate them for something as trivial as their skin color or what they do with their personal time. If your own father was prejudiced then notice yourself slipping into his tendencies and take action against it.

> Volunteer with your child.

Helping work on a meal line for the homeless or something similar will go a long way towards teaching your child about compassion towards other human beings. It will help instill a good value system as well. When your child feels the gratification that comes with helping our fellow human beings they will sympathize with others and see the big picture a little more clearly.

> Get them a pet of their own.

If your child is responsible for another living thing they will become emotionally attached to the pet and hopefully loving to the pet as well. If you, as a parent, notice them treating the pet poorly, then it's important to intervene and discuss how the animal should be treated. This is a good time for the 'treat others how you would want to be treated' discussion.

> Point out when people are being nice to each other.

Make a point of acts of kindness you witness on a day to day basis. It's important to reinforce this good behavior so that your child notices how much you approve of it. Something as simple as witnessing someone give spare change to a homeless person should be commented on with a comment such as; "that person is helping that other person, don't you think that's a nice thing to do?"

> Treat people well.

Be gentle towards people. Treat everyone with respect and give them the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. Your child will reap the rewards of your behavior as they see and mimic how you treat others.

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