by Diana Lane, Kids Pastor at Clover Hill AG
Don’t worry that children never listen to you;
they are always watching you. ~Robert Fulghum
This week, my not so baby, will get his license. For the last 8 months he’s been driving with his permit. It didn’t take me very long to pick up on the fact that he’s been watching me drive for the last 15 years.
Here are some of the fabulous habits I’ve taught him without even knowing it!
- Music sounds best when it’s turned up really loud and the windows are down.
- You really only need one hand on the steering wheel; this allows the other one to be free to eat, drink or use the phone.
- Speed limits are suggestions depending on your mood or the urgency in which you need to get somewhere.
This reality was completely frightening to me, at the least! It doesn’t matter what I tell him is the proper or correct way to drive. The fact is he’s been watching me. Driving this way could have some serious consequences.
I started thinking about what else I may be modeling that could have even more serious
consequences? Clearly some of what he picks up is positive and some of what he learns from me is less. I accept that I’m imperfect and do the best I can to model things I want him to learn.
Our kids are watching us; they are sponges, absorbing what we pour out through our actions. Yes, our words are important, but what they see us do, is what they imitate.
As a mom, there are so many things I want him to see. I want him to see and hear me praying for him. It’s a joke, but true, he knows I pray that if he’s doing something wrong, that he gets caught. I want him to see me help others who may be in need. Sometimes that may mean he doesn’t always get what he wants. I want him to know our family time together is important; we make it a point to be together.
My hope for my children is that they see something in me that they will also desire, and it has a lasting value, well beyond my influence.
What is it that your children are learning while watching you?