Learning how to be trustworthy is a social skill that all kids need to learn to get along with others throughout their lives. To whatever degree possible, most kids can learn something about being trustworthy.
Being trustworthy is essential for friendship. Being trusted with personal information is one of the hallmarks of friends. And later in business relationships it is essential to keep confidence on delicate and strategic matters. Trust once lost is hard to regain.
A trustworthy person earns the respect of others and is sought after as a friend or confidant.
How can kids learn to be trustworthy? By practicing step by step.
We can encourage kids to be trustworthy by giving them small bits of information to keep to themselves, and progress to more trust as they prove to be circumspect.
An example would be to tell a child about a surprise for a friend or sibling, perhaps a birthday present, and asking that the information not be shared.
Little steps like this build up trust and confidence. It feels good to be able to keep a secret - it increases the child's self esteem.
From the earliest moments of life I feel it is important to encourage a child's self esteem through giving small challenges to live up to.
Learning social skills is character building and pays off in the moment, and in the long run, as children feel confidence that they can achieve more and more as they grow.
Let's give our kids opportunities to develop trustworthiness so they grow into self-confident and compassionate adults!
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Article by Susan Kramer
