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As I Do So They Do--- Imitating Parental Habits

"I like driving with one hand.", my son says as he drives for the fourth time in his life.

How about this one: "I want to drive with my knees." 

My son hasn't been behind the wheel a full hour in his life yet, and he's talking about driving with his knees?!? Where did he get that from? Where did he understand that driving with one hand was okay or using my phone while on 495 was cool?  

In fact, where do most of the things that my children do get it from?  You guessed it...their mother!  I will not take responsibility for...okay, I'll stop.  Yes, they get their habits from me.

I know I've written about this in the post to some extent, but I believe it's worth mentioning again.  Our kids watch us like a hawk although they might not be looking at us directly.  They see and hear your habits, including the good and often bad habits.  Understanding that they see me, I gotta figure out how I need to change for their betterment.  

I read an online article written by Michelle Castillo of CBS News entitled, 'Parents' TV Time May Be the Biggest Influence on Kids Viewing Habits'. (July 15, 2013).  It stated the following: 

"Research published July 15 in Pediatrics shows that the amount of time parents watch TV is connected to how much TV their children watch, even more so than the location of the TV in the home or the family's rules for television watching."  

What an eye opener.  The Andersons love TV.  There are certain shows that NEED to be watched.  My wife loves to watch the 11 o'clock news.  I stop everything if a superhero movie comes on (my wife is so sick of seeing The Dark Knight).  These are habits.  

Or what about the condition of our bedrooms?  Are they neat?  Are your kids' rooms neat?  Do you rush or always behind in time?  Do they rush? Can they manage their time well?  Do you brush your teeth in the morning?  Do they...never mind.  Don't answer that.

Dads, answer these questions for yourselves: 

  • Are the habits I keep for the betterment of my children?  In other words, if they imitate what I do, is it for their good or detriment?
  • What habits are you teaching them to have?  Better question:  do you teach/ coach them to have quality habits?

My No Off Season continues...


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