Awhile back I had an article about the three schools for children (public education, church, and home). Today I wanted to focus on the education within the home, not homeschooling though. More specifically, I wanted to discuss teaching by example.
Any parent teaches by example. Whether teaching your children that they are or are not a priority in your life, you show them, despite your words and more through your actions what you truly think of them.
On thanksgiving, I had the pleasure of meeting my nephew’s, girlfriend’s family. Like his girlfriend, her three sisters (14,16,18) were all shy and quiet. The step-dad, was not, he was loud and socially aggressive. The dogs didn’t like him. Later, after they left my mom gossiped about him, saying that he probably hit them on occasion by the things my pseudo-neice in law said.
The 4 girls in that family were all timid and overweight. Being in a situation like that would teach you to cope as you could, despite your best interests.
On the other hand, we visit some old friends of ours, and there is this couple who showed us their newest addition, number eleven. This couple already has kids in college but they have always welcomed new kids into their home. They don’t have a tv and the kids built their own fort in the back yard. The kids can be loud and rowdy with 8 boys and 3 girls, but they all get along and the mom just goes along with it. It is a home where there is always a spirit of love and unity in the home. The kids have a strong sense of security because they know their parents love them and each other.
What I am trying to say is the phrase “don’t follow their words, follow their actions” holds water in all sorts of scenarios, including parent/child relationships. If you are the type to tell your kids that you love them, but you spend your evenings at the bar, they will pick up on that. You tell your kids to go to bed, but you stay up late watching tv, they will know where your priorities lay. You tell you kids that you would do anything for them, but you end up cheating on your spouse, they will see that.
Kids can spot hypocrites.
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