How to Raise Good Kids

My mom could write a manual titled "How to raise six kids you can be proud of." In the 1950s and 60s it wasn't that uncommon to be a stay-at-home mom. With six children, she worked hard to raise us right. Being a mom was a full-time job.
Here's how I imagine her manual would look:
1) Live in the country or a small town. Give them animals to raise and teach them to grow a garden.
2) Teach them varied household skills like baking a muffin, sewing an apron, and decorating a room. Give them chores like ironing, bringing in the firewood or washing the dishes. Everyone contributes to the well-being of the family.
3) Develop their interests. 4-H is a good organization to introduce children to a variety of projects from photography, to cooking, to news writing and many other skills.
4) Expose them to nature. Let them play in the creek and ramble the pastures. If they like butterflies, teach them to make an insect net, to identify the insects and label them properly. If they bring home an interesting rock, help them learn about geology.
5) Teach them to love reading. Set an example by reading for your own pleasure. Read aloud to them. Take them to the library. Give them books as gifts.
6) Teach them resiliancy. When they can't do something, encourage them to try again or try it a different way. Learning not to give up is an important life skill.
7) Teach them to strive to be the best at whatever they do. Raise rabbits? Make yours the ones winning all the purple ribbons. Like bugs, become a national 4-H winner in entomology and attend the national conference in Chicago.
8) Sit down to eat together. Put food on the table that builds healthy bodies. Use the dinner time to reconnect, catch up on how everyone feels, and to establish family values. Let them know what you think about the news of the day and about events in the neighborhood. This helps them learn what is acceptable and what is not.

Thanks, Mom, for taking the time and effort to develop all these skills and beliefs in your children. I'm sure as I ponder more about my upbringing, I'll find more to add to Mom's manual for raising a child right.

Story ID:	4293
Written by:	Virginia Allain (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Organization:	none
Story type:	Biography
Location:	El Dorado Kansas USA
Year:	1950
Person:	Gail Martin