But where we do not possess inner strength, we either get stuck or fail. If a relationship requires understanding and forgiveness and we do not have that character ability, the relationship will not make it. If a difficult time period in work requires patience and delay of gratification and we do not possess those traits, we will fail. Character is almost everything. The word character means different things to different people.
Some people use character to mean moral functioning or integrity.
We use the word to describe a person s entire makeup, who he is. Character refers to a person s ability and inability, his moral makeup, his functioning in relationships, and how he does tasks. These are a few of the issues that define character. If a person s character makeup determines his future, then child rearing is primarily about helping children to develop character that will take them through life safely, securely, productively, and joyfully. Parents and those who work with children would do well to keep this in mind.