What is Character? As a parent I have heard this word a lot but what does it actually mean? I found a few definitions for it.
Distinguishing quality or characteristic
The state of being held in high esteem and honor
Moral or ethical strength
The combination of qualities distinguishing an individual person
A good reputation

Character is something I would like to make sure all of my children have. But I have no idea where to even start. Luckily I came across this article by Jean Tracy that is full of great and easy to implement ideas.

By Jean Tracy, MSS, “Granny Jean”
Syndicated Writer for IdeaMarketers
Topic: Parents

Is your family life hectic? Do scheduling sports, music lessons, and gymnastics add pressure to your busy life? If you’re wondering how to slow down and focus on your family, look inside.

Can You Build Character without Routines?

Let’s say you created a chore chart. Your kids know what to do and how to do their chores. Let’s also say you drop one child off at gymnastics, another at soccer practice, and the third child off for guitar lessons. You rush home to start dinner. Then you rush back to pick up each child. You come home to finish fixing dinner.

After your family’s eaten, it’s time for homework, laundry, and preparing lunches for tomorrow. You finally get the kids to bed and feel exhausted. The kids are asleep. You look around and see the chores you assigned them aren’t done.

If this happens in your home, do you want to scream? Do you wonder why you work so hard? Do you long for quality family life? Can you see by bouncing from place to place, how chores might not get done? Wouldn’t you rather focus on creating a close-knit family life?

I remember counseling parents who were so busy. They had no time for thoughtful conversations with their children. They wanted to be good parents but got caught up in the rush of life. Being busy seemed more important than being together.

Building character means raising children with virtues and values. It’s almost impossible when you’re family is bouncing around like a rubber ball. Routines stop the ball and give your family a sense of order. Below are some parenting tips for slowing down and raising a family with character.

10 Parenting Tips for Building Character with Family Routines:.

Cut down on outside activities
Replace outside activities with family time
Hold a family game night
Set chore times
Hold family meetings once a week
Teach your kids to help fix dinner
Set a dinner time
Eat meals together
Set a homework time
Set a firm bed time

Parents as Teachers Conclusion:

Bouncing here and there with outside activities creates a busy life. It instills busyness, disorder, and ‘living at the speed of light’ in kids. Things don’t get finished without yelling and hollering.

Slow down, relax. Home life is much more important. Take the time to build a sense of order in your family. Teach your kids the richness of playing and working together. Focus on your family. Why not build family routines that build character too?

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For expert family meetings, pick up Jean’s Character Building with the Family Meeting Diary