The other day I was with my family in the dinning room, listening to some children's worship songs on the computer. My husband and girls were laughing, dancing and singing to the music and I just watched them, with a full heart...and then I noticed something. My three-year old was watching her father while she was singing and dancing. John made a silly face during one tiny part of the course and she mimicked him. Then, when that part of the song came back around...she made that same face he had subconsciously made the first time. Just like that she learned a new habit from my husband. Just like that.
I know that it is normal, children pick up habits and traits from parents. But right in that moment, I realized how quickly that happens. This really makes me want to focus on what I am doing and what my kids are learning from me...but it is nearly impossible to analyze your every move...and if you do, your kids will probably learn that from you TOO! But, it has made me become more intentional about habits I do want them to learn from us.
Opposed from focusing on how my child pretends to brush her hair, or "put make up on," I can focus on how my child spends her free or quiet time...by being intentional about how I spend my free and quiet time. This may not seem accurate to you, but it makes a lot of sense if you look at it from this perspective: My 20 month old daughter loves to talk on the phone. What 20 month old doesn't? It's what they see every adult do on a daily basis, more than once.
My 20 month old daughter also loves to pray. We have made it a habit (intentionally) to pray before each one of our meals. My three year old now leads these prayers...most of it is mumbling, but she takes pride in this part of our day. And if she prays before I get a chance to sit at the table for my meal (moms know what I am talking about, here!) she makes sure I stop and pray for my meal. And my 20 month old daughter will stop and pray both times a prayer is said at the table. She will say "amen" at the end of her gibberish prayers.
So, if you want your child to be more interested in books then television...guess what YOU should be doing? It's not enough to just read with your child, they need to see you doing it on your own will.
And if you want your kids to stop leaving socks all over the house...guess what you need to do with your socks? (Okay, that one may be for my husband, ha ha.)
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not stray from it. -Proverbs 22:6
--Ashley
