I will freely admit to not being an expert in parenting, child psychology, or any “trends” that have to do with raising children. I’m finding my way by gut instinct, a small amount of reading, and a large amount of support from friends, family, and my partner.
It’s interesting for me to step back from my situation, try to be an observer and stand outside of the scene in which I play a starring role as "the Mom." When I do that, I see how much my girls model their behavior on me.
And that’s mostly good and just a wee bit, well, not bad, but in some people’s eyes, questionable:)
Some examples:
· Starbucks. The girls love it when we build in the time for a quick stop at Starbucks. I get my coffee and they get matching containers with hot chocolate.
· They see me ride my Peloton, and I’d like to think that their activity level is somehow mirroring mine because couch potatoes they’re not!
· They’ve helped me in some community events and know what a big part volunteering plays in my life. They’ve also taken it upon themselves to talk with me about upcoming events and enjoy planning how they can participate.
I guess the short answer is that our children are always watching what we do, and that means they see and hear the good stuff as well as the not-so-good stuff. They will mimic what we do, copy what we say, and our values become theirs until such time as they are old enough to make their own decisions and question ours.
Because I know this, I take extra care to be the very best role model I can be and when I see them mimic some of the best parts of me, I have to admit that I’m happy and proud.
I hear that tougher years lie ahead, and I hope the modeling I'm doing now helps their teen years be as smooth as possible. Fingers crossed!