Nepal has an overwhelming amount of cultural values that’s been thriving from generation to generation. Now, this is high time that we do not let those cultural values fade away with the impact of modernization and western culture.

Amid hassle where people tend to get fluttered away with the extreme desire and compliance of work, we need at least one factor to bring us together and make us stay intact and grounded with society/people.  We need our values, beliefs, tradition, and culture that offers a direction toward oneness. We Nepalese are rich in the cultural values that have been flowing from generation to generation. We know about the lifestyle of our ancestors and understand them only because we have been in touch with the same culture they believed in. No matter how much modernization engulfs our society, we should never forget and be responsible to teach those values to our upcoming generation. However, the biggest concern and question is, how to instil the cultural values in children especially when those seem to fade away lately?

Children are growing along with modernization and it has been easy for them to get influenced by social media and western society’s culture. Now, we are left with the biggest responsibility to keep them from wandering off to where they don’t belong. 

  1. Acknowledge that you are the role model for them:

Children tend to copy their parents and unconsciously engrain what they do. If parents are regular with the pujas, festive celebrations, keeping the household in check, table etiquette, basic manners, behaviours, and the way of talking with others, then the children just by the virtue of observation learn for life. 

 

  1. Internet is not always a curse:

Not to mention there are tons of pros and cons when it comes to the internet. However, as long as the user is conscious, the internet brings in millions of positive addition to the knowledge. As a parent, we can advantage and teach our children about the cultural values and ethics of being a Nepali or simply as a human. There are interesting photos and videos about our variations of culture and tradition. That can be helpful for the children to visually understand the origin of cultures. 

 

  1. Conversation with children can be interesting:

We need to know the page our youngsters are in. Sometimes, talking with them about the values in life and important principles to stand by, can go a long way. Maybe, a storytelling session or asking about their perceptions can be enough to start with. This way, you will be updated with your children’s lives and what kinds of ethics they have started developing. 

 

  1. Peers are a great influential factor:

You might be wondering how is that possible. But, if we are to see the ratio here, children do spend more time with friends than with parents. So, make sure that their friend circle has that cultural elegancy. And also, if your children believe in cultural values, they might as well influence other children.  

 

  1. Tell them why culture is important:

If your children are forced to follow some cultural rules, there is a high chance for them to diverge away. Hence, you have to tell them why they are important. Why is it important to do get-togethers with family during Dashain, why is it important to greet with Namaste, why do we worship, and why do we value our culture. Until and unless they do not find those values reasonable, they are less likely to understand and follow them.  

 

  1. Appreciate them:

If you find them demonstrating the cultural values, be expressive to appreciate them so that they get motivated to continue doing that. The simple appreciation which takes no time can be a helpful way to instil cultural values in children. When you are excited about festive activities and welcoming your relatives, your children automatically grow the same feelings for a situation like that. 

 

  1. Purchase tale books:

Reading is the best way to broaden the horizon of knowledge. You can buy your children some books about the culture, tales, and origin of the tradition. Just by reading books, your children will know about so many different ethnicities, values, and traditions of different regions. Books will tell them or give reasons to continue what has been passed from our ancestors. 

There is something about culture and values that acts as a thread to hold us together. If the cultural activities are conducted in an interesting way including music, dance, food, and games, children are excited and happy to enjoy them. As much as instilling cultural values are important, the process equally matters.  Giving them lectures and forcing them to get involved might not work in a long term. On top of that, the topic of culture is a vague one and hence you might want to take baby steps to teach your children.