As we shared earlier this month, Winning Words is an elementary school parent pickup outreach of encouragement for families. Strong families are the best deterrent against substance use in our youth. Drug Free Charlotte County continues to hand out Winning Word magnets at three elementary schools. We share the Winning Word for each month as we go through the school year. Yes… we got a late start posting them in our blog… But, we are catching up in this blog!
The winning word for November is “HONOR…encourage mutual respect”.
Honor may not be a word not typically used in family relationships, yetits origin began in families with the command to honor father and mother. Somedefinitions of honor are; “to esteem at the highest level, a tangible symbolsignifying approval or distinction, to show respect for.”
Everyone enjoys receiving honor especially parents, children, and siblings. A culture of honor established in a family has great impact for them and all those they interact with in society. Honor excludes put downs, sarcasm, course jesting, and elevates respect, appreciation, and affirmation.
Some tangible ways to express honor in a family are as simple as having a special “honor plate” to be set before the honoree at dinner, to place a sign on the door acknowledging an accomplishment, or flowers in the kitchen to appreciate the cook.
Honor is a powerful attitude and activity. It brings families closer together, increases self-worth and that in itself serves as a protective layer against substance experimentation. Let’s specifically plan to honor someone in our family. It’ll be a win-win.