The Habit Of Forgiveness And Compassion In Children
Forgiveness is an act of good faith, it means leaving the bad behind and making way for the good; whereas compassion is about understanding the suffering of others. Do you find it difficult to teach this to a child? Well, in this post we will give you some tools for your little one to develop the habit of forgiveness and compassion.
As we always say, many of the actions of our children begin to occur with our example. Let us always bear in mind that parents are the role models, whether they imitate us whether we want to or not. Our children constantly observe and evaluate us, their behavior also depends on ours.
We know that forgiveness and compassion are not as simple and simple concepts as they seem, because when trying to execute them, thoughts, emotional intelligence and even prejudices intervene. To teach your little one to practice the habit of forgiveness and compassion, you must start with yourself.
Freeing ourselves and healing from what hurt us in the past, knowing how to forgive, will give us the strength to cultivate this habit in our children. Encouraging both elements – forgiveness and compassion – are home-taught tasks that require patience, understanding, and acceptance.
Children need to know how to forgive and be forgiven
That your children learn to forgive and be forgiven is as necessary as learning to express themselves or relate to their environment. It is important for children to understand the value of asking for forgiveness and being forgiven. Teaching him to accept his mistakes is one of the first steps and in this case it will be of great help.
When a child apologizes, immediately there is a reaction and everything is left behind. But it is necessary to instill in him that he should only do it when it is a sincere and genuine feeling from the heart. Ask for forgiveness every time you commit an improper act and know that apologizing will suffice, it is not the ideal scenario.
Explaining the reasons or reasons why it is necessary to ask for an apology will make them know the true value of forgiveness. Knowing how to ask for forgiveness will make them more responsible and honest children.
On the other hand, if your child develops the habit of forgiveness, it is certain that empathy and inner peace will accompany him throughout his life. Giving forgiveness is an act that will result in happy children, emotionally stable, free from grudges and bad memories.
Awaken compassion
Teaching your little one to be compassionate, to be sensitive to difficult situations is also a fundamental element in their growth. It is proven that the more empathetic and considerate children are, the better people they will be in the future. Introducing this habit is something that is done little by little and from an early age.
The best way to instruct them in the habit of compassion is to be aware of their surroundings. Teach your little one that we have to accept people as they are. This is an exercise that will help you understand that all human beings are different and that circumstances do not always favor us all equally.
Guide your child to develop empathy with the elderly or with those with illnesses. Although you cannot remedy these situations, you will be able to have a word or some kind gesture towards them.
Pity versus compassion
Talk to your little one so that he understands that feeling sorry for someone who is sick or even for an abandoned animal is not bad. In fact it is an absolutely valid feeling. But in their hands you can find the possibility to go further: to provide help.
Teaching him the difference between compassion and pity is also very important. From the pity one can feel sadness for the one who suffers and continue, but from the compassion one acts to reach out or change the situation of the one who suffers or is at a disadvantage.
The family is the perfect environment to learn to forgive, be forgiven, and have compassion for others. Try to share and coexist with your children with their closest circles and you will find there the ideal situations that will help them strengthen their character under the precepts of compassion and forgiveness.
