Pride destroys relationships. Pride prevents successful conversations, hinders people from accepting responsibility, disregards others, eliminates a person’s ability to compromise or connect, and eradicates vulnerability. When a person struggles to maintain successful relationships, pride is often the problem. If pride is the disease, humility is the cure. If you want to raise children who love others well, you must teach them to be humble.
Humble people care for others. Prideful people focus on themselves. To fight against our self-centered culture, parents must focus on the cultivation of humility in their homes, their children, and themselves. The trademark of humility is a genuine care for others. When you model caring for and serving others, you are laying the groundwork for your children to learn humility. In contrast, when humility is lacking, there is an abundance of selfishness, anxiety, and insecurity.
Here are seven ways to teach your children how to be humble.
1. Teach them to be slow to speak and quick to listen. Help your children to become curious about others. Teach them how to meet people, ask questions, and listen intently to the answers. Teach them to listen to answers to get to know others better, not so they know to respond. Prideful people walk into a room with an attitude of “Here I am.” Humble people walk into a room with an attitude of “There you are, I am so happy to see you.”
2. Make them practice empathy. Help them see that every living thing has value. You first do this by showing your children how important they are. Help them feel valued by focusing on them and what they want to do. You can also teach empathy by giving your children chores to help around the home and having them care for pets.
3. Help them see inconveniences as opportunities for interaction. For example, if your car battery dies and you must alter plans, encourage your children to be extremely kind to the person who assists you and emphasize the blessing of the interaction over the inconvenience of the dead battery.
4. Commit to serving others as a family. Research has repeatedly shown that people who serve others are generally happier and more content than those who do not. The high of making the game winning goal, winning a trophy, or obtaining perfect grades provide children with fleeting satisfaction. Serving others provides them with a consistent sense of fulfillment and purpose.
5. Make a habit of stating at least one thing each person is thankful for every day.
6. Cultivate respect by helping your children notice what they admire in others.
7. Embrace encouragement by having kids say and write uplifting words to others.
Raising children who are humble will always be a work in progress for your family. Do not become frustrated by the slow movement of this process. Just remember that you are raising adults, not children. Your focus must always be on who they will eventually become.

Dr. Beth Long received her education in Counseling Psychology from Chapman University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Beth has worked in six unique clinical environments across the country and currently owns Works of Wonder Therapy in Montgomery. Beth utilizes the knowledge from a variety of different disciplines to give her patients the best care possible. To learn more visit www.worksofwondertherapy.com.