Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.

The Little Engine That Could

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child (Part 1)

Which parents don’t want their child to be a hero? Or more precisely, to be thought of as a hero?

Sadly, too often a hero is remembered post mortem (after they are dead). No parent would ever wish their child to be dead.  EeewwwwW!

But parents would like their children to have the qualities of a, let’s call them living heroes.

This is the first of a 6-part series on the qualities parents would like to see in their children that would make their children stand out, be respected among their peers and maybe even be a hero. A living hero.

Quality 1 – Optimism

Henry Ford mass produced cars. Thomas Edison said about Ford, “You can’t be sure whether what Ford did was good or bad, but he sure didn’t leave things the way he found them.”

Parents most definitely want their children to have a positive influence on those around them. And that starts with having a positive outlook on life = optimism.

Ford has said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

Kids need to learn to think they can.

Remember The Little Engine That Could? <= Click

Children are little engines. They need to learn that they can.

Buy the book and read it to your child tonight and tomorrow night and the next until it becomes a mantra of sorts for them. It’ll make a difference in the long run in your child’s life.

When that happens, your child will stand out. When every other child thinks they can’t and yours stands up and says they can, then your child will not just be standing up, s/he will be standing out.

How do you teach your child to have a positive outlook on life?

Read also:

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child (Part 2)

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child (Part 3)

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child (Part 4)

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child (Part 5)

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child (Part 6)

What qualities make your child a hero? | How to raise a well-respected child | Summary

Talk to Bill and others about their experiences raising bi-cultural Japanese-American kids.