A Year of Courage

Where do we find the courage to do what is right?
Peter Gadol

American author Peter Gadol was not focusing on families when he wrote these words. However, his sentiment is going to propel us into 2010 with a challenge to all parents to strengthen and protect the character of their families.
Many parents are losing their children. Everyone may still show up under the same roof at night, but the reality is that the hearts and souls of the young people who live in some of those homes are wandering adrift in a coarsening, unhealthy society. We are being poisoned by the shark-baiting media that thrives on drama, both real and invented for the sake of 24/7 “news.” Our children are pawns of an economy that demands more and more of everything just to fuel the bottom line. And in all of this, our humanity as members of a democracy has somehow gotten lost.
We can step aside and allow it to happen or we can fight back. Let’s challenge each other as parents to tackle the problems one character trait at a time for the next year:

February: Charity for those less fortunate
March: Honesty and integrity as the very foundation of our lives
April: Self-control
May: Patience in all things
June: Forgiveness
July: Citizenship
August: Responsibility for ourselves and others
September: Respect for life, liberty, authority and property
October: Cooperation
November: Leadership
December: Kindness and Caring
January: Tolerance

Character education is merely a systematic way of helping our children practice the habits of good behavior. But first parents must model the desired behavior themselves and then they must explain every step of the way. We provide the instruction, encouragement, role model, and training and thus immerse our children in an environment of good character. By expecting the best of ourselves and then of our children, we have a chance of actually getting better.
To that end, we will address each of these issues throughout the year, providing specific ideas for strengthening the character of our children and our families. The suggestions will be based on the work of leaders in character education in our country, people like Philip Fitch Vincent, Kevin Ryan, Michael Josephson, B. David Brooks, and others. Suggested readings will be provided to accompany each month’s task.
Parents are also encouraged to send in their own suggestions and the experiences that come with having the courage to do what is right for their families, especially in the face of a society that often ridicules doing the right thing. We can learn much from each other.
Let us determine that 2010 will be the turning point in our families. We will no longer allow negative influences to be our default position. We will commit to having the courage to do the right things for our children and our families. It will be a difficult journey and it will be misunderstood by many.
However, the examples we set just might instruct and encourage those who mock us, creating a ground swell that can drown the negativity around us.