Authors Offer Tips On Teaching Virtues

There’s good news and bad here.

The bad: Too many children are growing up with their “moral compass askew,” learning that it’s OK to lie and cheat, to use drugs and hurt people. The good news: If parents really want, they can raise children with strong character and a clear sense of moral direction.

So say Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff, authors of a recently published book they hope will help parents raise children with character. It is titled “20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children” (Perigee Books, $12).

The authors selected traits they think are critical to people getting along together - responsibility, cooperation, humor and, most important, empathy. Empathy is the foundation that must be laid before someone develops the other qualities, they say.

Each chapter deals with one virtue, offering tips and examples of parents turning a “teachable moment” into a moral lesson.