Another George Washington Friday...

"It is unjust to speak against those who are not present to defend themselves."

George Washington's Rules 

of Civility and Decent Behavior

This is an honorable rule. And even though it might be difficult to stick to, the rewards of having others respect you for being a just and fair person, are more than worth it. Do it enough, and you’ll get a reputation for being trustworthy, as well. Once, again, the long-term benefits more than outweigh the short-term satisfactions.

It also has the added bonus of keeping you out of the kind of scrapes that result from having participated in the spreading rumors that turn out to be untrue.

This George Washington Friday...

"Don't be a flatterer, and don't play with people who don't like to be played with."

George Washington's Rules 

of Civility and Decent Behavior

     Here is another rule that is -- once, again -- all about respect. Both the giving and receiving of it. The important thing to remember with this one is that while others may not object to such attentions at the moment, you can be sure they understand exactly how deep, or how shallow, such behavior runs. Our emotional gauges are not based on age or intelligence. Proven easily by the fact that even a toddler knows when he is teased unfairly or made a joke of. 

     The dictionary defines flattering this way: 

"To compliment excessively and often insincerely, especially in order to win favor."

 or 

"To show off becomingly or advantageously."

     Make a habit of this little rule and people will be naturally drawn to you, even if they don't know why. And before you say, "But it's too much fun to give up!" it might be good to realize that momentary pleasures never outweigh long-term effects. No matter what the subject is. Which isn't just  another George Washington rule.

     It's a law of Nature.

George Washington Friday...

"Dont sleep when others are talking, don't sit down while others stand, don't say anything at times when you should keep your opinions to yourself, and don't keep on walking if others stop."

George Washington's Rules 

of Civility and Decent Behavior

   While this rule might be a bit difficult to keep up with by today's standards, it still has the power to generate wonderful results. Whether you are with children or adults,  a group of family, friends, or strangers, behavior like this will get you almost instant respect from the people you are with. Why? Because it's human nature. Human nature is something that does not change with the times. It never has, and it never will. 

   Getting the laws of human nature to work with you in any given situation gives you an advantage over others in ways they will admire you for instead of resent.The natural law that works (every time!) with the rule above is: you can not give respect to others without them respecting you for it in return. And -- don't worry -- it works whether they mention it, or not.

   So, give it a try this week and find out for yourself.

   We dare you.

Why George Washington?

   When it comes to parenting methods, raising a George Washington is a wonderful thing to discuss. In my many years of working with delinquent youth, I knew I was in for trouble whenever the kids were really bored. Those type of children tended to be naturally angry kids, anyway, and when they got bored it almost always led to big trouble. In some ways, it is the same with families. Your kids might not break the windows or burn down the house, but during these times you still go backwards in your battle to raise your child to be all they can be.

   I have found that the best defense for situations like this is a good offense. Get a project in mind. Be aggressive with better ideas for things your family can do. That is the best way to fight boredom, rather than the problems that boredom produces. As I have said many times before, when everyone is fighting over a dirty old bone, it's time to get out the steak. You'll never get arguments with that kind of an exchange. Besides that, raising kids is sort of like cooking meals: the better the ingredients, the better the outcome.

   Raising someone like George Washington isn't easy. But look what he amounted to. Talk about successful! It was amazing to me to find out that George started when he was a boy with 110 Rules for Civility. Those rules domineered his entire life, and played a big part in producing one of the most successful people to come out of the eighteenth century. What were those rules? They cover a wide range of topics from personal manners to relationships with other people. We thought it might be an interesting project to take a look at one of them right here on the blog every Friday, beginning tomorrow.

   Then we decided to go one step further and practice the rule in our own homes throughout the following week, and then talk about whether or not we noticed any significant changes. Sort of a “Raising George Washington Project” that we can all participate in together. Why? Because we believe if we can come up with ways to encourage our children of today to practice these same rules, we would be thrilled at the change in atmosphere around our homes. So, tomorrow will be our first session of “George Washington Fridays.”

We hope you'll come back and see how it all turns out!