How to Raise Kind Kids ─ And Get Respect, Gratitude, and a Happier Family in the Bargain

Can you teach your child to be kind?

This vital question is taking on a new urgency as our culture grows ever more abrasive and divided.

We all want our kids to be kind. But recognizing that abstractly is not the same as knowing what to do when your son tunes you out or you catch your daughter mocking a classmate who is struggling to fit in. A world-renowned developmental psychologist, Dr. Thomas Lickona has led the character education movement in schools for 25 years and now he shares with parents the vital tools they need to create a culture of kindness at home. Kindness doesn’t stand on its own. It needs a supporting cast of other essential virtues – like self-control, good judgment, courage and gratitude. So many things in our society teach a message of selfishness that it takes hard work to foster strong character in our kids. Lickona offers a program for all parents, including those who are struggling – and the confidence it can work.

With concrete examples drawn from the many families he has worked with and clear tips you can act on tonight, How to Raise Kind Kids will help you give and get respect, hold family meetings to tackle persistent problems, set up age-appropriate chores, get control of screens, tackle sibling cruelty, discipline in a way that builds character, and improve the dynamic of your relationship with your children, while putting them on the path to a happier and more fulfilling life.

Dr. Thomas Lickona is a developmental psychologist, professor of education emeritus, and founding director of the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect and Responsibility) at SUNY Cortland. His eight books on character include Raising Good Children, Educating for Character (“the bible of the character education movement”), and Character Matters. He received the “Sandy” Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education. A past president of the Association for Moral Education, he currently serves as an advisor to Harvard’s Making Caring Common project. His Center was the subject of a New York Times Magazine cover story, “Teaching Johnny to Be Good” and is partnering with England’s University of Leeds on the Narnian Virtues project.