Parenting by Example!

As every parent knows the old adage of “ Do as I say, not as I do.” doesn’t work in present society. It most likely didn’t work then either, but that is another story. As parents, we know children mimic our behaviors, repeat our expressions, and act as we act. They do as we do. If we tell our children to act differently, it seems false, hypocritical and duplicitous.

When I was 17, I often babysat for my niece (five years old) and nephew (four years old). One evening as my sister and her husband ran out the door, my sister yelled back, “Don’t let them play Gerry and Joe.” Shortly afterwards I understood the direction. Susan (5)and Joseph (4) became their parents. Soon I had way too much information.

We can work on being the people that we would like them to become. Truly, children do learn by example. Children do learn what they live.