Being a parent is hard.  We all know that.  But other than praying that my kids grow up healthy and honest, my #1 priority is to teach them to be humble.  Being humble is so so underrated.  It is one character trait that I surely wish more parents would focus on.

My oldest son is 9 and I'm not sure if it has to do with the fact that boys {and parents of boys} are just more competitive or WHAT, but I've recently come to the realization that not every parent out there feels that instilling humility in their kids is really all that important.  I think it's such a shame.

That's my son in the photo above which was taken this past summer.  His team played in a baseball tournament and in this particular game, he was selected to receive the "MVP" award by the other team's coach.  He was pretty surprised {and excited} and it was neat to see all of his buddies and teammates rally around him and cheer him on, as they did the other recipients from that weekend's tournament games.  But what was even more heartwarming was how my son handled receiving the award.  He simply kept his head down and said "thanks" as parents and kids congratulated him over and over.

My kids attend private school and although I absolutely LOVE the school they are in, I have come to find out that there are many, many, many parents who let the boastful actions and words of their kids go unnoticed and without consequence.  It quite frankly has made me sick.  This is especially true when it comes to sports. 

Instilling within our kids the notion that they need to be humble and not boastful is something that to me, seems like a no-brainer.  Nobody likes a bragger — no matter how cute they are as kids.  My kids and I have had several discussions about the difference between having confidence in yourself and abilities, and being humble about those gifts.  It's a tough subject for them to grasp understanding of, but still, it is one that must be made clear if they are to develop into productive citizens and good people. 

I'm still just flabergasted at the actions and words of some of my son's classmates and what big attitudes they have.  What's even more disgusting is the fact that such attitudes are usually the reflection of their parents.  The same people I see in weekly mass receiving holy communion.  I just think that we all as parents need to be on the same page with this issue. 

So, I ask you — do you talk to your kids about having a humble heart and attitude? Why or why not?