Raising Responsible Kids

January 5, 2009
Interview with Steven Carr Reuben author of Children of Character: Leading Your Children to Ethical Choices in Everyday Life, A Parent's Guide

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Mike Carruthers:
Every parent is concerned about raising their children to be responsible moral adults. And that's more difficult than ever to do.

Steven Carr Reuben:
In 1940 the top seven school problems in the country reported were: talking out of turn, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls, cutting in line, dress code and loitering. And by 1987 the top seven school problems have become drug abuse, alcohol, pregnancy, suicide, rape, robbery and assault.

    Steven Carr Reuben

Dr. Steven Carr Reuben, author of the book Children of Character says even though many parents believe their children don't listen to them - his advice...

Be the kind of adult you want your children to grow up to be. It's that role modeling that has always been (and always will be) the primary way through which parents influence their kids. James Baldwin once said, "Children have never been good at listening to their elders but they've never failed to imitate them."

How we behave in front of our kids teaches them - and we can use that to our advantage.

You know if you're driving in the car and someone wants to change lanes in front of you or you're in a parking lot and someone wants to get into a parking space... how you react to that person or what you say in the car when you're driving with your kids sitting in the backseat is teaching that child more than any of the lectures or preaching that you could ever give to them.

And Dr. Reuben says it's important to make ethical behavior a family affair.

You know you don't talk about "Gee it'd be nice if people would help the homeless" it's - you take your kids and you go down to the local homeless shelter and you volunteer. And then you're teaching your children by living what your real values are.

Complete interview not available.