Be the image of what you want your children to become.
They want to be you. They admire you and you are the model for adulthood in their lives.
At times I have been floored by the truth in the above statement which I see with my own daughters.
Some of us have heard the age-old statement “Do as I say and not as I do” and know that it is a pile of crap.
Even if it is us saying it to our children.
This “phenomena” can be seen everywhere. It is part of the reason that many kids follow their parents footsteps in their career choices.
I am old enough to now have seen the children of sports stars beginning to come up in the ranks of the same profession as their parents.
Whatever is important to you will be important to them. Even it is the most insignificant of things. Typically, in the most perceived insignificant things.
Let take a trip to my hood…
I was raised in Oak Cliff and love the area and the people. It is known for many things and unfortunately has a bad reputation as a terrible place to live. Not true, but that’s a topic for another blog post.
In that part of town there is a large amount of people that put a great deal of self-worth in their shoes/sneakers.
Jordans. Nikes. Polos. And whatever brand is hot right now.
I still remember some people would wait outside of Foot Locker to pick up the latest release of the Jordans. Sometimes it would mean skipping school.
This is still somewhat true today. Only now those kids are adults and they have kids that are always wearing the flyest gear.
Their kids can recite to you the release date and color schemes of the shoes. Why? Is this truly important?
To them it is. To their parents it is and has been.
Now, let’s come back to the future…
I appreciate and respect this phenomenon. Regardless I am still floored when my daughters say or do something that I absolutely never considered was important to them.
They, like all children, are incredibly observant and pick up on the most subtle behaviors we as parents have.
Our speech patterns are mimicked. Our posture. Our sense of humor. Our expressions. Our attitude.
Even the way we handle ourselves and manage problems. This one is a killer for some of us as parents.
But don’t take my word for it. I just pretend to know what I am talking about.
Take a self-evaluation. Ask your peers and family how they truly see you and think of you.
After doing this take a look at your child. Your teenager.
We need to be more accountable for the children we are raising.
Yes, I know they are being influenced by peer pressure at school. But what is our influence at home?
Be the image of what you want your children to become.
