Parenting : Young Children Absorb Everything They See and Hear
Who do our young children spend their most time with everyday?
Mommy? Grandparents? Nanny?
(Or, TV? Electronic Media, like iPads?)
…
Ever realise that children, especially young children, love to imitate the behaviours of people around them?
Especially those whom they spend quite a lot of time with everyday.
I was reading an article somewhere the other day and I was just again reminded that … before we ‘complain’ about children’s behaviour, let us observe who and what surrounds them too.
And most importantly, let us first ‘look at ourselves’ in the mirror.
Are we temperamental?
Do we ourselves treat our spouse or others around us with kindness, and respect?
What are the words, even phrases, that are commonly said around the home?
What kind of games or TV characters are they exposed to, if any, everyday?
Before we ‘complain’ about children’s behaviour, let us first ‘look at ourselves’ in the mirrorYou see, whether we like it or not, our children absorb everything that they hear and see – consciously and unconsciously.
They are like a dry sponge!
They especially ‘read’ what our lives are like.
These little ones God has sent and entrusted into our care ‘watch’ what we do.
They observe the words that come out of our mouths.
They are most probably very good too in spotting whether we ‘do what we ask them to do’ ourselves.
Well, what kind of characters do we wish to see in our children?
Kindness? Righteousness? Courage? Compassion?
When we wish to build and encourage positive characters in our children, the reality is, it is not just about THEM.
It is very much about US, the parents, too.
(And of course, also the kinds of other exposure that we allow to enter into the children’s daily lives)
If we wish for our children to be kind, thoughtful and thankful, then our children need to see those qualities in our lives too.
They need to see how we ourselves are walking our faith and are dependent upon God in every decision we makeAnd if we talk about our children’s spirituality, they too need to see how faith matters in our lives. They need to see how God IS relevant to our daily situations as well as theirs.
They need to see how we ourselves are walking our faith and are dependent upon God in every decision we make.
Do we pray and seek God’s help when faced with financial difficulties?
Do we ask God (and our child) for forgiveness when we unnecessarily lose our temper?
Do we display any self-control in what we say and do?
…
Parenting seems ‘impossible’ whenever I think about it this way.
But, thank God we are never left alone.
God is with us.
Let’s learn to depend on Him. However tough things may seem.
May God give us His wisdom and strength everyday.
And, may God shower our family with His mercy and grace, everyday, so we can be the kind of people He wants us all to be.
