The Bridge Core Values – Week 12 – Equality through Respect

Proverbs 1:7 Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

This week at Bridge Kids, we began by reviewing what we learned about last week, the Bridge Core Value, Equality. We talked about how treating all people with equal care and respect is a reflection of God’s Love. Love God, Love Others as Ourselves. Today we talked about how the core value of equality can be summed up in one word; Respect.

We learned that manners at the dinner table are a form of respecting those who we are eating with. And learned about the Golden Rule “treat others how you want to be treated.” Jesus treated a woman with respect who was grateful to him. He showed us that everyone deserves respect. We roll played a bit giving scenarios where we might be disrespected and how to show respect.

We continued writing the Bridge Kids Declaration of Equality, adding to what we wrote the previous week, which will be added to, each week in the month of January and then signed by each Bridge Kid who declares to do their best to walk a path of Equality.


Dine and Dish:
Talk – Talk to your kids about what respect means to them
Ask your kids how much they feel respected by you on a scale from one to ten? Discuss ways with them that they can feel respected.
Discuss with your kids times that you felt disrespected and what you did.
Do an activity together:
Play Pig – Everyone has twenty nickels and each time a family member is caught with no manners (elbows on the table, no “please”, no “may I be excused”) they have to put a nickel in the jar in the middle of the table.
Act – Do one small thing each day to encourage your kids to have give someone respect
i. Find a way to help a person.
ii. Keep your eyes out for someone who society does not value, and do something that would make them feel valuable.
iii. Get Involved – Whether it’s picking up trash in a local park, serve food every 5th Sunday at Home PDX with The Bridge, write letters to Congress or the School District, volunteer, etc.
Listen– Listen to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and discuss what it means to you, personally with your kids.
Write – Write down ways you can respect others. And try them out.