Throughout May 2012, we’ll be working on the concept of “trustworthiness.”

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that trustworthiness can be defined as “being worthy of someone’s trust” or confidence.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

In this video, Dr. Robyn addresses a parent whose children want to start making decisions with less supervision, but don’t quite understand yet how they need to earn their parents’ trust and confidence.

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 Trustworthiness defined: What does trustworthiness mean?
Week 2 Cheating and stealing: How do these actions break trust?
Week 3 Promises & Secrets: When do I keep them? Is there a time when I shouldn’t?
Week 4 Rules and Accountability: How do I abide by rules and deal with mistakes?

About Dr. Robyn:
Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist, body image/body bullying expert, sought-after speaker and award-winning writer, is known for her no-nonsense yet positive approach to helping young people and their families thrive. Her ground-breaking research at Tufts University on young women is the foundation for her book, “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.”

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!