start your personal reflection here
Values Exploration
YOU’VE started exploring your values
Ask Yourself
- How have my values and goals regarding lifestyle rewards changed over time?
- Do my partner and children share similar values to me? Or are different values important for them to have the sense of ‘a life well-lived’?
to go deeper..
Complete the Values Activity below to understand more about the unique mix of values influencing your behaviour, and how this knowledge can help you parent your child.
What’s Next?
What are values and why do they matter?
Knowing what you value and why is helpful in discovering a fulfilling career. Even if we are not aware of them our values are humming away in the background influencing all of our interactions and decisions.
Knowing how you use your values in your parenting role to influence your children and their choices helps create harmonious careers conversations about their future. Just as helping them to discover and respecting their values will ensure they also have a fulfilling career journey.
Our values go to the heart of what is important.
They are the principles and standards that guide our conduct as we navigate through life. Alongside skills, values are important when choosing career directions that are fulfilling and rewarding for us and for our children.
We all have a unique mix of values that drive our beliefs and behaviour. We are aware of some, but we may not be aware of others. In our busy lives we may not have given much thought to the values motivating us, where we picked those values up, and even whether certain values are still valid for us today. Yet each day, our values are influencing our behaviour and life decisions, including our hopes and aspirations for our children.
Some core values remain with us throughout life.
Others naturally evolve over time and at different life stages. As a parent, you (and your values) are the biggest influence on your child’s vocational direction. You and your child will share some values, but other values may differ, especially as your child grows and develops into their own person.
Greater self awareness of your values helps you to be an insightful parent and to focus more closely and respectfully on your child as an individual. Our values are our life compass to provide stability, especially in challenging, unpredictable times. We can teach our children how to navigate by their values too.
Discover your unique values
Watch how one mum used our Values Activity to discover her unique values and how she hopes to use her insights to help her be a better parent.
“There’s much one can learn as a parent from our children’s values, often we are judgemental or too ready to dismiss their values- it is important to remember that we too had a hand in shaping our children’s values and to have an open mind to the possibilities that our children could present to us.” – Ilham, parent of 2
As a parent, consciously thinking about the values by which you are living your life helps to identify the values you instil in your children. It also serves as a useful guide when making important decisions for your children and helps steer away from options that would not align with your own values.
SELECT YOUR CHILD’S AGE RANGE
Now that you know this about yourself, explore these resources