What is Loyalty?

How to teach your child about loyalty?

As your children begin elementary school they learn a lot about relationships. Your daughter's best friend today may betray her trust tomorrow. Or possibly your son wants to leave his basketball team because there's someone he doesn't get along with.

How do you help your child when you see her blindly following a friend or a trend? Or maybe your son keeps leaving a friendship whenever someone more interesting comes along or things become a little difficult.

What about talking behind someone's back?

This is the perfect opportunity to teach about how to practice loyalty. Without loyalty we change our commitments as often as we change our socks.

What is loyalty? The Virtues Project gives a simple and clear definition. "... Loyalty builds relationships that last forever."

Loyalty is standing by what you believe in, even when someone else may not agree with you.

Loyalty helps you listen closely to your own heart. Loyalty keeps your heart safe. If you can't stand up for something, maybe it doesn't ring true to your heart. Your heart will always tell you what is true for you.

When you practice loyalty it's important to choose wisely. The way you begin a relationship sets the tone for the way it will continue to be.

Take the time and really listen to your heart. Ask some important questions: is this someone that I can be myself with? Can I see myself being a good friend? Is this someone/something that I can stand up for? What is loyalty? What does my belly (your gut) say about this person?

Loyalty keeps you faithful (true) to your friends and family. It helps you to set your heart on things that really matter. Telling your true feelings to people who are close to you is practicing loyalty.

Loyalty helps you to protect what is important to you.

Here's an inspirational children's song that I wrote, that will give you a good definition of loyalty:

Stand by what you believe in.

Listen closely to your heart.

Be careful and choose wisely, loyalty keeps safe your heart.

Loyalty is the guardian (keeper) of my soul (spirit);

It sets my heart on things that matter.

It keeps me faithful to my friends and family.

I'm loyal. I am secure.

So let's ask the question again. What is loyalty? It's choosing wisely what you give your heart to.