I stopped and visited my brother this past Sunday afternoon. Okay, truth be told, I was really visiting his grandson, Jude. I love this little boy, and evidently, he loves me too. It is almost impossible to leave without him wanting to come with me. He told me he wanted to go to church with me and said he would behave. Look at the picture above - how could you tell that little face no? I took him and off we went. He was a perfect little angel. What I noticed though, is he often mimicked my actions. If I sneezed, he had to sneeze. When I did something with my hands, he did the same thing. If I coughed, he coughed. While I thought it was cute, it is a scary reminder just how much they watch us. No parent sets out to be a bad example to their kids. But, we are only human and we fail. A lot. We get caught up in the moment or get emotional and forget they are watching us. As much as you hate to admit it, you are teaching them a lesson. The fact is, you are ALWAYS a role model. Sometimes, it is a good role model, but often time, it's a bad one. Parents who wouldn't dream of calling another person a name to their face, will readily do so in front of their kids. Or those little white lies we have told when we know they know different. Their minds are like little sponges and they absorb everything you say, and more more importantly, everything you do. The old cliche "like father, like son" will hit home. The choice is yours, not theirs. Don't worry that your children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.
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