Children look up to their parents. That's a given. We are the primary examples in their lives. What they learn is from what we allow them to learn. We control what their eyes and their minds take in.
Today, I was in the kitchen giving our cat some food and Inaya walked right up to him and shaking her hand said, "no, no, no, no". Why? Because we always tell Miming (the cat), "No, don't go there or no, don't do that".
Later on, Ahmad was shutting the balcony door and he banged on the glass to get rid of some mosquitos or something that were stuck on it. Then Inaya instantly walked up to the glass door and started banging on it too.
I have a heart pillow in the shape of a heart that I received from the hospital after my surgery. I am supposed to carry that pillow around with me everywhere and hold it against my heart as a protective barrier and as a support when I cough or laugh or put any pressure on my chest/lungs/heart.
Whenever the girls get their hands on my heart pillow, they hold it against their heart and hug it tightly just as I do.
Our children take in everything that we say and do. Whether we like it or not, we mold them.
Tonight in our devotion, Ahmad and I read Jeremiah 32: 17-22 which was very fitting and ironic after a day full of copycatting because in verse 18, it reminds us of our great responsibility to children, and not just our own. It says, "You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers' sins into the laps of their children after them." I know there are far more fitting verses in the Bible for what I am getting at but this one still gets the point across.
We have a HUGE responsibility given to us as parents, caregivers, aunts/uncles, older relatives and even friends towards the young children in our lives. But especially as parents. We have to be ever so careful with what we say, do and even think around our children because they are watching us and they are learning. They don't know the difference between right and wrong, good or bad. We teach them that. Who they become when they grow up starts with how we raise them at a young age. We can teach them to share or be selfish. We can teach them to be obedient or rebellious. We can teach them to swear and disrespect people or we can teach them to be kind and loving. We can show them how to control their temper and anger or show them how to lash out and throw a fit. We can spoil them and teach them to be careless with money or we can show them the important things in life and also the value of a dollar. You can teach them to be proud and boastful or full of humility. And the list goes on...I'm sure you get the picture.
So we must remind ourselves always that the years between 0-5 are when they will develop their personalities and habits. So we must encourage them positively and direct them in the right path. We may not feel that they are ready just yet but you would be surprised and how intently they are watching you. And if you have a problem with anger or vanity or have a bad mouth, you can easily pass those traits on to your children. I hear everywhere that children these days are so bad and undisciplined or "dumb" but they are the responsibilities of their parents. Yes, as they grow older, they make their own decisions and yes, everyone makes bad ones but I firmly believe that if you ingrain good values into your children from day one, those values will carry on with them as they grow. And what they learn as young children will aid them in the paths and decisions that they make as they journey through life.
So let us take the time and make a conscious effort to be good inspirations to our children. Let us take this wonderful responsibility that God has given us to raise the best humans that we can.
And plus, if we watch what we say and do for their sake, we're also inadvertently making ourselves better people too! =)
Be a blessing to someone today!
