Sometimes as a parent you may feel like the lessons you are teaching your children are not reaching their brains. We repeat the same suggestions over and over again and nag the same nag repeatedly. This past weekend I witnessed several examples of politeness and kindness from my kids that gave my heart a pitter patter of joy! It is an amazing feeling to watch your kids grow into compassionate people.
Looking back over my parenting successes and failures I have to say that kids learn best through modeling their parents. If you want them to say please and thank-you you have to say it to them and others. If you teach your kids not to gossip and they hear you talking gossip with your hubby they are getting mixed signals. Eating healthy teaches your kids to eat healthy and so on.
Easier said than done, I know from experience I promise you. I want so much for my children: Happiness, good health, determination, great self-esteem with a great self-perception, and a genuine Faith in God to help them through life. Through time I realize that I need to make sure that I possess these qualities to model them for my girls. Not an easy process at all, but how can I push my girls when I am not pushing myself?
Through-out the summer months I have learned that I need to let go of a few things in order to work on myself. I have stopped teaching my Breast-feeding class at the hospital, I have let people know that I will not be doing the same Girl Scout duties that I did this past year and I have pledged not to say yes to an activity that doesn’t feel like the genuine me. I had someone tell me this summer that I should say no a lot more. The thing is I do say no quite a bit. I don’t participate in things I’m not passionate about, but I have noticed that my yes isn’t always as fine tuned as it should be. I normally say “put me where you need me” when I should be saying “I would like to do this”.
So this year ( mom years run from August to June, not January to December) I’m working on becoming a better me. This of course will benefit me. My hope and prayer is that the benefits spread to my Hubby and my four darling girls who deserve the best mom they can have.
This does not mean I am running for Mother of the Year 2009…no way. I’m waiting until 2010 to go for that title!
