The Good Book

Searching for an effective way to influence your children? A solution could be right in your pocket. When my children were younger, I purchased pocket-sized note pads and wrote each child’s name on an individual pad. Dubbed “The Good Book,” each handy little notebook made it easy for my wife and me to jot down any good deeds we saw our children doing throughout the day. Since they already had regular responsibilities, we recorded only the extra things that were beyond their normal duties. For instance, we tried to notice if they cleaned up a mess they didn’t make, said a prayer for someone who was ill, or helped each other with a chore. Later, we could review with each child his or her good deeds for the day. This simple family tradition not only reminded our children to serve others but also helped them drift to sleep with positive thoughts about themselves. Nothing else we did as parents seemed to motivate our children more than this simple acknowledgement of kindness.

Perry Gravelle, Washington