What do I hope my children will learn from me? This is exactly the question that is always in my mind and I am thinking about it every day. It is a very difficult question because it reflects my view of life and my philosophy of life. In fact, I am still seeking for an answer and it may be something that I have to keep thinking about, and I may not be able to get a definite answer.

So far what I hope my children will learn from me is to lean to respect themselves as well as other people. Respecting others is of course important, but I think respecting themselves is just as important. If they cannot respect themselves, they will not be able to respect others, either. I would like my children to know that they are very special and unique. I also would like them to learn to believe that they are good, valuable human beings. I was deeply impressed by the words in the Bible, which says that God gave each of us a different valuable gift. I hope that my children respect their own gifts given by God. I strongly hope that they believe in themselves to accomplish their dreams using their God-given talents.

I also would like my children to have their morals. I hope they will know right from wrong and not be influenced by other people. I want my children to know that God is always watching over them and they should also be looking at themselves through his eyes. They should do good things because it is the right thing to do. They should not do bad things not to avoid criticism. I would like my children to understand that having morals makes human beings different from animals.

It is easy to tell them these things, however, it is not easy to have them truly understand. The only way would be to show them that I have self-esteem and morals. Being such a good example is really hard for me, and I really feel that raising children is raising myself.

Hiroko S.