173 Principles for Raising Children of Character (Pt. 2)

Mystery of Parenthood

Trey Cashion and Thaddeus Romansky finished up their discussion of a Catholic Education Resource Center article by Professor Thomas Lickona. (https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/parenting/raising-children-of-character-10-principles.html ) They covered his remaining 5 principles for raising children of character. In the 2004 article, Prof. Lickona intended his principles as guideposts for parents to prioritize character formation, which will then have by-products like academic and extracurricular engagement as well as religious conviction and practice. Here are the ten principles at a glance:

1. Make Character Development a High Priority
2. Be an Authoritative Parent
3. Love Children/Love as communication/Love as sacrifice
4. Teach by Example
5. Manage the Moral Environment
6. Use Direct Teaching to Form Habits and Conscience
7. Discipline Wisely
8. Solve Conflicts Fairly
9. Provide Opportunities to Practice the Virtues, and
10. Foster Spiritual Development.

As always, Trey and Thaddeus interwove examples from their own families and lives throughout this energetic discussion.