Have you taught your child about forgiveness?

A couple of months back, a misunderstanding happened where President Duterte was reported to have cursed the Pope during his visit to the Philippines. Duterte then clarified that he wasn’t cursing at the pope but at how the government handled the visit. He sent an apology letter to the Vatican about the misunderstanding.

Recently, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jess Dureza shared that he went to the Vatican and asked Pope Francis to bless the Philippines. Pope Francis added that he will also bless President Duterte. This is a wonderful example of how people should forgive.

Why should we teach our children to forgive?

Of course, everyone knows that we should forgive those who have hurt us. But have we ever stopped and asked why it is important?

Teaching your children how to forgive is a good way of helping them go through their childhood and adolescence easier. Holding grudges and being resentful of people makes children and adults more depressed and prone to anxiety. Teaching forgiveness also helps prevent children from taking the role of a victim.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Forgive, but don’t always forget. A lot of people think that forgiveness also means forgetting what the other person did. That isn’t exactly the case, since forgiveness means that you might not be happy about what happened, but you’re willing to let it go so that you can start the healing process.
2. Look beyond the action, and try to understand the other person. If your child was hurt by someone, try and understand the situation first. Maybe someone hurt them because the other person was also going through a negative experience. Letting your child understand how other people feel will make them more compassionate and understanding.
3. Try to understand how your child is feeling. Ask your child how they feel, and why they’re feeling that way. Knowing more about what they’re experiencing helps the both of you understand the situation better and lets your child let go of their negative feelings.
4. Teach them to share how they feel before asking for forgiveness. Instead of immediately forgiving someone, teach your child to share how they feel first before forgiving the other person.
5. Let them visualize their feelings. Visualizing how they feel helps to release any harbored feelings and also lets them come to terms with how they feel.
6. Make them write a letter. Writing down how they feel about a person is a good way to release their feelings. Once they’re finished writing the letter, they can rip it up and throw it away to signify that they’ve let go of their negative feelings.
7. Set a good example for your kids. Teaching your kids about forgiveness won’t mean anything if you don’t practice it yourself. That’s why it’s very important to practice what you preach and set a good example for your kids.

Source: psychcentral.com, news.abs-cbn.com

READ: Pope Francis extends power of priests to forgive abortion

Be sure to check out theAsianparent Community for more insightful stories, questions, and answers from parents and experts alike. If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!