A few weeks ago, I was in the kitchen slaving over a gourmet dinner for my family. And by gourmet, I mean I sprinkled some fancy shredded mozzarella cheese on a Hamburger Helper meal. The kids were in the living room
"You be the daddy, I'll be the mommy, and Anna and Davy can be the babies."
Awwww, how cute. They were playing "house." I kept one ear and eye on the kids while I stirred the pot of simmering pasta on the stove.8 year old Katie took her role as mommy very seriously in the game, giving hugs to Anna (3 years old) when she pretended to have an owie and finding a toy for Davy (2 years old) to play with. 6 year old Nano, in his part as the daddy, sat down on the couch with my library book on his lap.
Now I was intrigued. Kids tend to emulate their parents while playing "house," but Hubby doesn't have time to read books so I wasn't sure what Nano was doing.
Nano sat on the couch flipping through pages in my book for about 10 minutes while Katie stayed busy taking care of her two younger siblings/children and cooking in the kids' play kitchen. Then he put the book down, put his red baseball cap on, and declared that he was heading to the farm before going into his room to play with his tractors. I stopped him as he passed by the kitchen.
"What were you doing with my book?" I asked, curiously.
"I was just being like Daddy and reading my Bible."
As he walked away, excited to be playing with his tractors, I melted on the floor in a puddle.
My husband works a crazy schedule between his overnight job and farming, but he makes it a point to sit down and read his Bible each day. He also listens to a daily online devotional on our Samsung tablet with the kids and me. On Sundays, he parks the tractors, only does the necessary chores, and spends time at church and with his family. He sets an example of a good Christian man for our kids, and they are obviously noticing. That confirms for me everyday that I married the right man.
Our kids are our mirrors. If you want to hear what you really sound like to your kids, listen to your 8 year old bawl her little brother out for breaking her toy. Not that that's ever happened to me... (yeah, I'm totally lying, and may I just say what a wake up call that is?!?)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What example are YOU setting for your kids?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As parents, we need to be aware of the example we are setting for our kids. The whole "do as I say, not as I do" thing is completely invalid with children. On a related note, Father's Day is right around the corner (hello, Sunday!!). To celebrate that, here's a fun printable that your kids can decorate for Dad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FREE Father's Day printable here: http://bit.ly/1USRjmU
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you all have a great Father's Day celebrating the dads in your life!
SUCH a sweet story! I definitely thing it's so important to note the little thins we may be subconsciously teaching our children and this is such a great example!
ReplyDeleteIt really is! We don't realize how much they're watching until something like this happens.
DeleteYou are so right Hannah, our kids absorb so much of what we do. My husband prays over his food and we pray before bed together as a family. Well, I honestly didn't think my kids paid much attention until I heard my daughter praying before she ate, and one time before she took a nap. It really melted my heart.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet! Yes, it's amazing how much kids absorb!
Delete