Lasting impressions

We often do not realize the impact that we have as parents.  We worry about everything around our children, but often forget to look at ourselves.  It isn't just the friends at school, the shows on tv, the games being played, or the music being listened to that impact our children the most.  We impact our children the most.

We may yell at our children in a moment of anger, but that is carried with them for the rest of their life.  We may forget about it 5 minutes later, but you have already made that impact.  We may show our anger by say things, yelling, throwing things, but then wonder why our child shows their anger that way.  They are because we are showing them how to act.  We are showing them how to speak, and how to yell.  However, when they yell at us, or throw things we immediately want to punish them.  Who is punishing us for our bad behavior?

You may think it is okay because you are the parent, and they understand that you can do it but they can't.  How does that make sense?  It isn't like driving or voting there isn't an age requirement.  Why are we showing bad behaviors, but then get upset when they show the same behaviors?  However, if our children do something good we want to boast about how they are like us.  Guess what. When your child repeats your bad behaviors they are being like us as well.

Last night I saw a family in which the dad was being rude to the children.  I couldn't help but think of the lasting impression he was leaving.  Was he showing the little girl that a real man treats his children the way she was being treated?  Was he showing his son that he wasn't valued? The dad made comments about how everyone was looking at him, but he never thought to step back and look at his actions.  Needless to say he left an impression on us, and I am pretty sure it left a lasting impression on his children.

With our children we have to think of the lasting impressions.  Maybe we are angry, but how are we teaching them to react when they are angry?  Are we showing them to take a deep breath or yell, to count to 10 or to hit, to step away or throw things?  Not only that, but how are we teaching them to be adults?  I wondered once I got home how the dad would feel if the daughter grew up and was with a man treating her like her dad had just treated her.  Would he even realize that he had also treated her that way?  Chances are he would be angry at the thought of someone treating his daughter that way.  Never realizing he also treated her mom that way.

When you think about how you treat your children please realize that you are teaching them not only how to treat others, but also how they should be treated.  Should your child be treated with respect, love, care, and understanding?  Then you are the first person to teach that to your child.

What lasting impression are you leaving on your child?