Monday, June 1, 2009

Developing a Conscience

There are many ways to help our child walk through the process of conscience development. I have found several articles and will provide the link.

The first is FAS/E and Conscience Development by Teresa Kellerman.

Do the Right Thing by John Faull.

Teaching Kids to Develop Conscience by Ann Leedom.


RadKid.org has an excellent article about conscience development.

In our house hold spiritual development is important as well. There is a spiritual reason for our conscience development, an answering to God, a fulfillment of why He put us on this earth. We listen to Christian music often and the kids will sing along, we go to church where they hear they are loved and Divinely made. They are not an accident but a creation. Many of our children missed stages of conscience development because they were in crisis. When a child is in crisis they skip whole stages. If you can read through the article on RadKid and figure out where your child is in their development it gives a starting place. Then you can have a healing day!

5 comments:

The Accidental Mommy said...

The article says that kids don't develop the concept of possession prior to the age of 5. Respectfully, I totally disagree with that. They understand their own possessions with full clarity. I think there is full awareness of the possessions of others too, and the issue of stealing comes in under impulse control.
JMO and not trying to nit pick or anything, just to put out my perspective in interest of how others see it.

Brenda said...

I agree with you on that. I think with any book or article we read we have to pick out what works for us, what we agree with and leave the rest. Not nit picky but discerning what is right for you! : )

matryoshka said...

thanks....Jupiter took a kids makeup compact from a mystery store in the mall the other day (non store identifying price tag of course)and this is definitely something we're trying to work on..haven't read articles yet but I can't wait to do so!

Brenda said...

I would take him back to the mall and revist the stores until you found it. He can then hand it back to them and apologize. Then I believe he needs to do something for you to make up for the trouble he has caused you. Bear will be pulling weeds in the flower bed this afternoon for yelling all morning. I told him to take a shower and that was what set it off. Don't I have some nerve????

marythemom said...

I absolutely love the RADkids.org article. Very concrete.

Regarding possessions, I'm not sure where I fall on that issues. I do know that kids do not develop the ability to empathize until about age 3.

Therefore they don't get it when others get upset about them taking their stuff (or getting bitten or hit). I think until then, it's all "mine." They don't like it when they get hurt, but don't understand that others hurt too.

We teach them the concept of sharing, but with the understanding that they need to learn and have the words for when they actually get the concept (like teaching kids the alphabet, showing them how to hold a book and turn the pages from left to right, and reading to them so they'll have those skills when they are developmentally ready to read).

That said, impulse control is a huge part of it too. I know 30 year olds with less self control than two year olds.

Mary (used to train preschool teachers) in Texas
http://marythemom-mayhem.blogspot.com/