There is a great verse in Deuteronomy that God gave to the Israelites to show a parent how to teach their children. In Chapter 6 verses 6 and 7 God says through Moses 'These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.'

The way to teach your children good ethics is for you and your spouse to be TOTALLY committed to the teach, training and guiding you children into of good ethics.

Let me make it clear at this point that all children learn some kind of ethics, good, bad or mixed. But there is a way to teach good ethics like Deuteronomy says.

Several ideas.
1. Use God's Word daily. When you rise up, when you walk in the way, when you go to bed. The BIBLE is the foundation of right ethics. Use it, teach it, read it, discuss it with you children.

2. DISPLAY good ethics in you personal life because you children are watching. Be consistent every where you go. Talk to you spouse about what the two of you should display and teach in the home. You children will copy you.

3. DO NOT TOLERATE wrong ethics in your home. Do not let them enter your home through the TV, Internet, friends, etc.

4. TALK about good ethics in front of your children. Praise the good, honorable and positive in front of your kids at the dinner table. By the way make sure you have dinner as a family, at the table and not in front of the TV.

5. Always know who is TEACHING your children. Discuss with them things that they learned in school and other activities. Know whats going on in their heads.

6. EXPECT the best ethics out of your children at school, sports, cub scouts, dance, other activities.

6. NEVER reward bad behavior and try to reward good behavior. You do not have to make a big deal out of good behavior but simply a word of praise followed by a two way discussion.

7. Take your children to CHURCH and Sunday school (don't drop them off).

8. Teach them how to WORK but remember they are children. Let them be children. Let them make mistakes. Let them be creative. Let them work for something they want. Give them a pet to take care of.

9. Teach them what you consider RIGHT and what you consider WRONG. Guide them into right ethics. Don't let your children, especially at an early age, come up with their own ethics.

Children will learn there ethics from parents first and as they get older they will learn from others. Be sure to prepare them well.

Learn more about this author, Carl Laws.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Teaching children ethics?
We want to hear your view. Write now!