Values-Based Parenting is so important to instill good values in children because children imbibe and imitate what they see first from home. As the first educators of your children, your child will mirror everything he or she sees from you.

When you use Values-Based Parenting, you are intentionally helping your child to navigate, understand and explore their emotions.

Many cultures have used values-based parenting to huge success. When values-based parenting are established from a young age, a child is given the wings to fly through all sort of challenges that life might throw at them.

One of the cultures I admire is the Japanese culture. I have been intrigued by Bushido – the Way of the Warriors. Bushido is a moral code or moral principles established for the Samarai and although we are not raising Samarais, there are values that we can adopt in a child-friendly and modern mum style for our children.

7 Important Values From Bushido You Should Use to Instill Good Values in Your Children.

1. Courage: Courage means the ability to handle any situation with confidence. For example, if your child is learning how to ride a bike and they fall off their bikes, teaching them to respond to the situation will help them understand courage.
2. Honesty: Honesty is best modelled and it means being honest to oneself as much as to others. It means acting in ways that are morally right and always doing things to the best of your ability. For example, if you don’t want your child to go on a play-date, be honest about it. Say I’m sorry we can’t make it today rather than saying oh, my child is not feeling well. By telling lies in front of the child because they will pick up the skills of lying.
3. Respect: Respect is a matter of courtesy and proper behaviour towards others.
4. Honour: Honour is sought with a positive attitude in mind but will only follow with the correct behaviour. For example, success is an honourable goal to strive for.
5. Loyalty: Loyalty is the foundation of all the virtues, without dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to one another, one cannot hope to achieve the desired outcome.
6. Compassion: Compassion means using whatever strengths you have for the good of all. Compassion goes beyond a feeling and it is about the actions you take to help people.
7. Rectitude: Rectitude means making the right decision with the moral confidence to be fair and equal towards all people.

Values-based parenting is about living your values every day through your words and actions.