By Keith Rudy, MindOH! VP of Sales

Over the years, I have raised a good number of kids. For the most part, I thought that my daily parenthood duties were finally about over. However, a little more than a year ago, my wife and I found ourselves facing a decision that is becoming more the norm that the exception. We had to choose whether to raise our grandchildren or break apart the family. Well, the decision was academic ... family first.

Within a month of that decision, we had three small children, ages 7, 6 and 3, infiltrating every aspects or our lives. While this seemed overwhelming at first, I have come to realize the magic that little children bring into this world. Our grandchildren have a special way of perceiving the world around them. It is by no means a simple view; rather, it is a view that is not biased by life's experiences. At this age, they are constantly absorbing new things about the world in which they live. The things that you say and do come back to you in the most surprising ways.

My wife and I are committed to teaching our grandchildren to become responsible adults ... someday! We had assumed the mantle of older, and therefore, wiser adults. As one of the more recent clichés goes, "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!" In reality, wisdom only allowed us to be more open-minded and more observant. As typical parents once again, we started by structuring the kids lives in the home to mirror ours. Picking up clothes, cleaning up the bathroom, putting away toys, having "nice" conversations at the dinner table, etcetera.

At first, we were concerned that the children were not all behaving according to plan. Two out of the three seemed to be getting the message. But our six-year old, seemed to be either rebelling at an early age, or off in a parallel dimension. Fortunately, we decided to give her some room to express herself. That was when our OH-Moment came. She is an individual with her own thoughts, perceptions and feelings about the world around her. This, of course, seems so very obvious. However, when involved in the daily grind of getting the kids up, dressed, off to school, fed dinner, completed homework, bathed and put to bed, parents sometime lose sight of a child's uniqueness in the world.

Our granddaughter's OH-Moment is evolving. She is actually a bright, remarkable human being. We are working together to find ways for her to express her individuality while learning to follow some of the basic rules that makes it easier for all of us to get along in the world. Personally, this has heightened my awareness and improved my tolerance of people who express themselves differently. I am no longer so quick to dismiss people that do not conform to Life According to Keith.

Children are mirrors of their parents' personalities. If we take the time to open our eyes and watch our children, we can see clearly our own values and biases reflected in their actions. Make no mistake, the things you say and the behavior you model will come back to you through your children very quickly.

Our children's propensity to demonstrate what they are learning from us in a time and place of their own choosing compels us to take an active role in managing the social and cultural environments in our homes. It is only by consciously modeling behaviors that we can directly influence how they grow. If we stand by passively and just focus on the daily grind, our children will take their cues from other more powerful influences that originate from outside the home. My wife and I make sure to make the time to talk very explicitly about how we interact with the children. We discuss this in enough detail to ensure we both understand the guidelines and still allow flexibility for changing situations. While there are no guarantees and we have to work at this approach, we already see some early fruits of our labors.

Book review by Leslie Matula, MindOH! Co-founder and character education subject matter expert

In honor of George Washington's birthday on February 22nd, I thought I'd introduce readers to this wonderful little book. For those of you who don't know, our founding father, at the notable age of 14, wrote down 110 rules. He titled it Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. According to the publisher, "These rules were drawn from an English translation of a French book of maxims and were intended to polish manners, keep alive the best affections of the heart, impress the obligation of moral virtues, teach how to treat others in social relations, and above all, inculcate the practice of a perfect self-control."

It's a quick and enjoyable read for our busy times, and full of wisdom and unintentional humor. Many of Washington's rules are quite a challenge to a fidgety person such as myself, rules such as: "Shift not yourself in the sight of others . . ." And our MindOH! team would struggle with this one: "Do not laugh too much or too loud in public." But then there's the great wisdom of young Washington's first rule, "Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present," and Rule 22, "Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another, though he were your enemy."

It's quite remarkable, if you think about it; a teenaged boy destined to be a great leader, a man whose life transformed and continues to transform the lives of millions, developing a set of principles to live by at such a young age. It's a great example for today's youth. This little book (only 30 small pages) makes a great gift and would be a fun family read or discussion generator.

On January 30th, the New York Post covered a growing trend and concern among today's youth, cyberbullying. The article "Kids' E-Vil Deeds" cited preliminary results from the MindOH! Foundation's annual Character's Cool Contest.

Such assaults are more widespread than anyone had imagined. According to a new survey of more than 4,000 students nationwide, 40 percent say they "have participated in cyberbullying."

And New York is no exception, with 37 percent here and in New Jersey admitting to dirty digital deeds. (The survey was conducted by The MindOH! Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes ethical behavior among young people.)