Lili Borrero

Senior Consultant, Global Outreach

Lili serves as Character.org’s worldwide ambassador for our Schools of Character initiative. She is a psychologist from Universidad de los Andes, has a certificate in child psychopathology from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Alabama, and is a certified translator and interpreter from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Lili enjoys reading, exercising, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

I remain true to the quote I chose for my yearbook page when I graduated from high school: “The impossible is often the untried.” (Jim Goodwin)

Commitment

Parents need to commit to model and reinforce to their children the core values and character strengths that mean the most to them. They also need to be creative and offer meaningful experiences that illuminate how important these character strengths are to the family’s core values.

Conversations

We know “We need to talk” freaks kids out, but too often parents avoid having conversations about character, especially as children get older. While it may not be easy to talk sometimes, we know from the research that parents who avoid talking to their children about serious matters quickly lose trust and connection.

Celebration

Parents need to find ways for their children to be active participants in their own character growth. Optimal character development occurs when children begin to make self-motivated commitments to consistently practice a core value (e.g. “I want to be the kind of person who is always honest and shows up on time.”) Parents need to celebrate these moments to shape and define individual character.