|Ethics Code: Character Development Guidelines for Parents
- Always act so as to encourage and justify trust. Teach your children the meaning and importance of trustworthiness.
- Be honest and demand honesty from your children. Do not engage in or permit dishonesty by lying, deception or omission.
- Teach and model the importance of integrity by doing the right thing even when the cost is high. Admit your mistakes openly and honestly as a demonstration of integrity.
- Keep commitments. Do what you say you will do when you say you would do it to impress on your children the values of promise-keeping and reliability. If you are unable to keep a commitment, apologize to those who were depending on you.
- Treat everyone, including your children, with respect, courtesy and consideration and require your children to treat others with similar respect. Cheer good plays of both teams. Avoid and prevent put-downs, insults, name-calling, yelling and other verbal or nonverbal conduct likely to offend, hurt or simply set a bad example. Promote politeness and use of “please,” “thank you” and “excuse me."
- Let the coaches coach, the referees ref, and the players play. Cheer and encourage vigorously but do not confuse players or impede coaches by shouting instructions to players from the sidelines. During a game, do not interfere with a coaches judgement on substitutions, plays or assigned positions. Do not challenge the calls of a referee/umpire/official during or after a game.
- Teach your children to be on time and that others are depending on them to be where they should be when they should be.
- Teach your children to treat others as individuals recognizing and appreciating their diversity in skills, gender, ethnicity and race. Never permit statements or acts of prejudice.
- Listen to your children. Respect their opinions and answer their questions without being defensive or arbitrary.
- Always exercise and demand self-control. Do not lose your temper. Don’t throw things, scream, or otherwise demonstrate uncontrolled anger toward any player, including your child, a coach or referee/umpire/official.
- Teach and model self-discipline and a sense of duty to meet obligations even when it is difficult or unpleasant.
- Teach and model the idea of pursuing excellence measured by doing one’s best, not by winning. Teach your children to win and lose with grace, that character is measured by how you played the game and that they can always hold their heads up high when they have done their best.
- Teach and model accountability by accepting responsibility for your choices of both action and inaction.
- Teach and model fair play. Make sure your child understands the importance of playing honorably.
- Teach and model fair-mindedness by being fair and by being open to ideas, suggestions and opinions of others.
- Teach and model compassion for others. Discourage selfishness. In your relations with players, coaches, referees/umpires/officials, and other parents treat others the way you would want to be treated.
- Help to assure that your child’s experience is one of fun and enjoyment. Correct and instruct in constructive ways. Be generous with your praise when it is deserved. Tell all players when they have done something well. Cheer both teams to demonstrate appreciation for the effort of the players.
- Demonstrate sincere interest in your child’s play and support the team.
- Teach and model the importance of obeying laws and rules as an obligation of citizenship. Teach how unfair it is for some people to play by the rules while others don’t.
- Teach and model respect for the environment and the obligation to contribute to the greater good.
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