 |
| ©Darrell Wyatt |
As a mom, it feels as if I am under constant scrutiny. My kids are constantly watching the things that I do and say, to see if (and perhaps hoping) that I will "mess up". I give a seeming endless list of do's and don'ts every day: Do brush your teeth, don't forget your backpack, do eat a good breakfast, don't watch TV before you're ready for school, do walk across the street at the crosswalk, don't talk to strangers. And the list goes on and on. I hear, "Mom, why can you talk to strangers?", "Why don't you have to eat breakfast?", "How come you can eat candy before dinner?".
The other day, my daughter asked me what time it was. I replied, "8:25". "Are you sure?", she asked, as she went into the kitchen to check the clock for herself. "Oh! It is 8:25. Usually you lie." After the initial shock of being called a liar, I realized what she meant. If it's 8:27, I'll say that it's 8:30. If it's 5:58, I'll say that it's 6:00. I sometimes forget how literal children can be. They take every word that comes out of my mouth as the truth (until they hit those wonderful teen years, anyway). This is quite a heavy responsibility. Am I teaching them correctly? Am I 100% truthful about the things that really matter?
More than my teaching style though, today's reading made me ponder whether or not I am "practicing what I preach". Abinadi was chastising King Noah and his priests because of the wickedness of their people.
Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?
And they said: We teach the law of Moses.
And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses
why do ye not keep it?(Mosiah 12:27-30)
why do ye not keep it?(Mosiah 12:27-30)
I do try to live the things that I teach the kids, but I'm not sure that I'm always successful. Because I have a son with autism, I understand the importance of modeling correct behaviors. The only way that he learns is by watching others. I've always found it to be very poignant that every time our son goes through testing, his cognitive age is always, within a few months, the exact same age as his younger brother. My younger son, since the day he could walk and talk, has modeled "normal" behavior for his older brother.
So it is with mothering. Whether I like it or not, I am modeling behavior for my children - good and bad. They see what I do and how I react to certain situations. They look to me as an example for honesty and integrity, for respectful and loving actions. If I falter, I am still the example. They will do as I do. I need to make sure that I am always mindful to do as I teach.
No comments:
Post a Comment