Model Behavior

My girls all sleep in the same room. Well, early in the morning today my baby Austin started crying. I picked her up, fed her, burped her, & started rocking her. It was as I was rocking her that I looked up & noticed Asher was wide awake holding her baby doll & rocking her back & forth just like I was. She had been mimicking everything I had been doing to her baby sister to the "t".

This adorable incident made me really think about how important it is as parents to model the same behaviors we expect out of our children. They are always watching & listening even when it seems like they aren't. They are always taking mental note. I am constantly hearing my kids say things that Justin or I have said weeks later & I had no clue they were even listening. This has definitely caused me to clean up my act. I remember 1 day Aidann dropped her crayons everywhere & she said, "Awe man!". It was cute, but this also forced me to stop & assess everything else that comes out of my mouth-"Would I want my girls saying that?".

We tell our kids to use their manners, but are we? We say to eat their vegetables, but are we? We need to not be hypocrites & practice what we preach. It is also from observing us (mom & dad) that they are going to learn how to "fight"-Work out disagreements. Do we yell & scream & not listen to the other person's side or opinion? You might say, "Well, we just make sure we never 'fight' in front of the kids?". Well, it is actually vital that you do work out some disagreements in front of them. They need to know mom & dad are not perfect & have a healthy relationship where they can resolve problems together. You are showing them how to work it out when they run into conflicts later on in their own lives.

They also will turn to look at their parents when trials & tribulations come. Do you crumble & just give up or do you stay positive & stand on what you believe in? They observe the way we deal with disapointment, the way we treat & talk about others, & even down to the mood we choose to wake up in in the mornings. They will also get their moral values from us-Not just the moral values we tell them they need to have, but primarily the ones we are walking out ourselves daily. "Mommy accidentally walked out of the store with that 1 item she forgot to pay for, does she go back & return it or just keep it?".

Its a lot of pressure & a huge responsibility to be a parent, but it is also a huge honor we need to stop taking so lightly. When our kids do something that is not okay, instead of laughing because it is cute right then because they're young, we need to nip it in the bud right away! Its not too late to change & adjust, so lets make sure we are modeling the same behaviors & language we expect out of our lil' ones daily!

AIdy & Daddy!

-M&M Momma