What You Can Do

Teach your child to stop and think before acting on impulse.

Teach your child to tell fact from feeling. Let him know that justbecause he feels strongly about something--such as hitting someone who made him angry-- doesn't mean it'the right thing to do.

Encourage your child to think about consequences of her decisions. Tell her little stories about situations she might face and talk about actions she might take who might be affected by her actions,what might happen because of her actions and what best action might be.

When your child has a problem with a rule, brainstorm together a list of possible reasons for rule. This leads to greater understanding.

Remind your child to pay attention to rules or codes that apply in each situation. For example, rules for behaving in church aredifferent from those for a football game.

What You Can Do

· Take your child with you when you vote. Talk to him about candidates, offices they aspire to hold and their positions on key issues.

· Participate in community-building activities, such as cleaning up parks and assisting with school activities. Discuss citizenship with your child and find examples of what good citizens have done for their communities.