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Publisher's Note
Just last week a family member blurted, "S#@T!" as she was taking Kayden out of the car. (I wasn't there, but other family members told on her). He repeated it the second it came out of her mouth...then kept repeating it. He never said it in front of me, until just the right time....at church! Yes, as people are standing in the hallway at church, Kayden comes running down the hall and yells, "SSSSSHHHHHHIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!!!" Everyone turned and looked at me. I stood there with my mouth hanging open, looking for some place to go hide! Come on, of all the places he could have said this, it had to be in CHURCH! WHY?????!!!!! So of course, I said the only thing I could say, "I wonder where he learned that from!?" ha, ha, ha! Isn't that what all parents say when their children say some horrible thing? We act like they couldn't possibly have learned that from us, their parents. Then I quickly blamed it on that other family member! I share this horribly embarrassing story with you, not because I want to air my dirty laundry, but because we sometimes forget how closely our children are watching us and other adults in their lives. We have a responsibility to lead by example and show them the right way to behave. It's not enough to just tell them what is right and wrong, we have to behave in a way that we would be proud if they copied us, not put us to shame. I want my children to learn respectful, kind and caring words from me...AND MY FAMILY! I want to show them what it means to be a good citizen with a compassionate heart and respectful behavior. Now I know I can't shield them from all the harsh words and actions of the world, but I can do my part to show them the right way, since parents have more of an influence over their children than any other person or thing. We should all work to be the best example for our children, and maybe, along the way, we will become better people for it. And the world would then be a much better place.
Your Friend and Fellow MOM, Adrienne |
