Making memories is what I call the photo below. This mom took her daughter to one of my painting classes and as you can see, this little girl loves her mama and was sharing the love. It's what a child feels when you spend quality time with them. Like the list above, the simple things, the little things mean alot. They may not seem like they will to you, but, to a child, they mean everything.

If you would like to learn more about Characters of Character, please visit us online. If you would like to learn how you can become a part of our causes, visit us online here. If you would like to meet the individual characters, click here. If you would like FREE resources to help teach your children these vital core values, click here. If you would like to donate to our nonprofit organization, please click here.

Characters of Character is passionate about donating our Superhero Activity Boxes to children in the following hospitals:
Huntley Hospital
Ann and Robert Lurie's Children's Hospital
Loyola Hospital
We have found that there is a huge appreciation of these donations and the staff have shared the need for these positive activities for the children. Your donation helps us reach our goal to donate to the above. Rust-Oleum and Northwestern Medicine have both donated to this project and our goal is 25% met. If you know of a business who would embrace a sponsorship opportunity, please share us with them, and together we will make a difference in the life of a child.
You can reach me, Joni Downey here if you have questions, I'd love to chat! Be well, and take time to choose one of the above to do with your children or grandchildren soon!

Who is responsible for your actions or your behavior? You are. No matter if you’re a toddler, youth, tween, or an adult. You are the one who is responsible for what you say, what you do, your thoughts, and your actions. I recently took a great adventure with a dear friend who said to me, “I just know my friends are going to love you” and I responded with, “I hope I don’t do or say anything to embarrass you”! Her response was, “It’s all on you” and that made me think!
We are responsible for who we are always, nobody else is. While I worked in the Public School system when a child would say to me, “my mom forgot to put my homework in my backpack” I said to them, “It’s not mom’s responsibility to put it in your backpack, it is yours.” How do you teach your children to be responsible?
When our kids were younger there were consequences when they didn’t do what they were asked, or if they didn’t follow the rules of the house, etc. Our kids were not just awarded something, they had to earn it. They knew what their chores were for the week and if they didn’t accomplish these, they didn’t get their allowance. If they got in trouble at school or in the community, something that they treasured at the time – such as video games – were taken away. This was teaching them that they needed to be responsible for their actions.
It’s very important to teach your children that they are responsible for who they are, of course, age-appropriately. For example, you wouldn’t expect your two-year-old to just go brush their teeth before they go to bed, this is something you do nightly with them until they can handle this on their own. When your child signs up to play a team sport, you don’t just expect them to get out there and play like a pro, you practice with them so that they will play their best at the game. Same for a musical instrument, a child is responsible to practice to play well, they are responsible to study for a test, they are responsible for their chores, etc. and all of this is teaching them to be responsible. We had consequences in our home, too; nothing major, just something enough to make our kids think twice about the next time. They learned what responsibility was and this made them proud of who they were, and it made us proud to see them become better versions of themselves!
                                               Below are some simple tips to teach your children:
1. That they are responsible for their attitude
2. That they are responsible for their choices
3. That they are responsible for their homework
4. That they are responsible for the things they say and do
5. That there are consequences when they are not responsible

Teaching a child to be responsible at a young age will have a lasting impact on who they become as an adult.

Create a Responsibility Chart with your child to personalize what they are responsible for in your home. An open discussion as to what this trait means is very useful. Explain to them that they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves, putting away their toys, putting their plate in the sink, etc. Not to mention school work. Today our kids get homework and it'll be no different come the fall when schools open back up again. After their homework is completed, where should it go? Most likely in their backpack. You might add to your chart to wash your hands when you get home, etc. Whatever you feel comfortable with discuss it with your child and reinforce it on their chart. Use positive reinforcements and they are sure to follow your directions.

Get creative with your children! I for one am a visual learner and put in some fun and creative visuals and I'm all in! Making a paper bag puppet can be fun and an easy way to introduce the trait responsibility. I always encourage creativity, feel free to share your puppet with us sometime!

Check out our Youtube Chanel here. Learn more about Responsible Rabbit here. Characters of Character is a 501(c)(3)not for profit organization. Your donations and sponsorships help us continue making a difference in the life of a child. Learn how you can become a part of our mission here.

It's never easy asking for donations. However, when you believe that it will make a difference in the life of a child. You step out of your comfort zone and you ask. This is Joni from Characters of Character. We are asking for donations so that we can donate to children in the hospital and to local libraries. This year we are donating to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and to the Hendersonville Library, and, we need your support. Perhaps you feel uncomfortable donating cash to an organization, we understand, please learn other ways that you can support our cause here. Rest assured though, because we have been registered for the past sixteen years in Illinois and two in Tennessee with no salary, no paid employees and are here because our volunteers spend their time, their energy and their passion because they believe in our mission, "to provide a firm foundation for children to establish strong civic values" and this is what we do.

Last year we discovered that there is a great need for materials for the children in the hospital and we even visited a few with our costumed characters to share their message and their resources. Self-Esteem Elephant visited Shriner's Hospital in Chicago with the message of, "I Like ME" and Warm-Hearted Walrus visited Huntley Hospital to share the message of Kindness. We donated to these and to Loyola and to and Lurie's Hospital in Chicago. This year we're raising funds to donate to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Tennessee. Please consider a donation, you will make a difference in the life of a child. After all, we are making a difference one child at a time.

The Children's Hospitals Boxes are sturdy, colorful and include one Superhero Activity Book, a canvas with a message to paint, an easel to display the canvas, crayons, watercolor paint, paintbrush, color poster, sticker, superhero mask, character lanyard and a hand written letter from one of the Characters of Character, priceless! We are trying to raise $5,000.00 to ship out 225 to 250 boxes, depending on cost of shipping. We have received a $500.00 donation from Rust-leum towards this project. If you are a Corporation and would like to learn about our Sponsorship Levels, please contact me. The staff are so appreciative of these activities for their patients and we know the joy that they bring to the girls and the boys, let's make the world better together! Please donate here.

I have reached out to a number of libraries and the Hendersonville Library is interested in our Confidence Building Activities for their community. This is the Self-Esteem Elephant character and this box is much like the above. The activity book is an "I Am" Affirmation activity book teaching children that they are unique and have special qualities to which they can emphasize and learn about. I have already sent them a Bulletin Board activity to engage their children in, worksheets and coloring pages to introduce this character. It seems like the right place to promote good character because our schools are closed and our libraries are beginning to re-open. What a wonderful opportunity to build these traits in our children. Our goal for this Library is $2,000.00 to donate one hundred of these boxes to. While our organization is still physically located in Illinois, we are still planting our seeds in Tennessee where we will relocate the Characters of Character to within a year. We have met with the Governor's Office and a group of Young Professionals to introduce our organization and discuss ways to partner when we arrive. The possibilities are endless and we are excited for this new move!

If you have any questions about the above, feel free to reach out to me. My phone is 815-403-0217 or you may email me. Be sure to visit us online and to check out our FREE resources to help teach these Characters of Character important messages. Be well.
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We hope you talk with your child about behavior. Below are some simple ideas to teach them: 
1 Be a role model
2. Be patient
3. Be a good listener
4. Know the rules, follow the rules at home
5. Know the rules, follow the rules at school
6. Together, make a list of rules, what you expect from your child and display the chart/list
7. Share a story about a time that you misbehaved, what were the consequences

If you would like to learn more about the Characters, click here. If you would like to learn more about our character videos, click here. If you would like to learn how you can become involved, click here. If you would like to donate to our nonprofit organization, click here.

Remember that others are watching you, listening to you and wanting to be like you, be a positive role model an influence and together we can make the world a better place.