Character Development: Training Teens to be Ladies and Gentlemen

Ready to invest in Character Development? Training Teens to be Ladies and Gentlemen!

Character Development:Training Teens to be Ladies and Gentlemen

Confident teens are often teens that have had character development as part of their homeschool high school experience. One of the most confidence-enhancing character-development subjects is training teens to be ladies and gentlemen.

Teens who can walk into numerous social, business, church or family settings and conduct themselves well are empowered to do good and feel good.

Here are 5 kinds of character development for training teens to be ladies and gentlemen:

Social graces

Homeschool high school years are good years to review basic manners that will help a teen to look and feel good about themselves. (We shared some ideas on The Homeschool Highschool Podcast Episode 38 Holiday Social Skills for Teens.)

• Saying *Please* *Thank you*
• Holding doors open for others, or walking through a held door and saying *thank you*
• Not pushing ahead of others in lines or going down halls/aisles
• Allowing elderly or little ones to go first
• Using technology politely when in a group
• Meeting new people

Self-composure 

Teens feel better about themselves when they can keep their cool, especially in public. (It is fruit of the spirit, too.) Teens need to be skilled at the 3W’s of composure:

• What am I feeling?
• Why am I feeling that way?
• What am I going to do about it?

Assertiveness

Colossians 4:6 instructs our teens to let their speech be with grace, seasoned
with salt, that they may know how to answer every person. Teens feel more confident when it is best to be quiet, when to assert or stand up for themselves. Just like the best role model, Jesus- sometimes he held his peace, sometimes he called Pharisees *white-washed sepulchers*. Check out The Homeschool Highschool Podcast on Christ-like Character for ideas on assertiveness.

Look out for Those Who are Weaker

One of the loveliest things I’ve seen in our local homeschooling community is the kind and inclusive treatment of young people with differences or disabilities. I remember a letter one young woman who was on the autism spectrum wrote to our homeschool group classes thanking the umbrella school for the feelings of acceptance she received. Believe me, our local kids are naturally kind but they were also coached on accepting and supporting, never mocking, those who are weaker.

Prayer

Prayerful teens (and adults) are usually more in touch with Christ and Christlike behavior. For teens who are tired of the prayers of their childhood, it might be good to let them discover some interactive ways to pray using 7Sisters prayer journals. 

These are good years to invest in your teens’ confidence by investing in character development by training them to be ladies and gentlemen.

Read more about character development for teens.

Use your homeschool high school curriculum to build character in your teens.

Character Development:Training Teens to be Ladies and Gentlemen