Living By Example, Beyond The Daily Routine

Thursday January 7 2010

Leading by example, I've realized, is so much more than one would actually think. Sure, the usual applies here like watching your language, showing your children your cleaning up after yourself, recycling, and that you have good manners and respect towards other people. I've learned, by trail and error, that your children mimic and pick up everything that you say. Naturally, they want to be like their parents, and live like we do.

Living by example is so much more than household habits and daily routines. Our children see our relationships, our friendships, our work ethic, our businesses, and even though we may think they are not there, they also see our downfalls. We want our children to be in healthy relationships, but we continue to stay in a love less marriage. We want our children to go to college, but we could never quite finish that bachelors degree. We want our children to get a good job, but they see you come home in anguish every evening and complain about how horrible your 9 to 5 is. Sure, we could live by "bad example", a case of what-not-to-do, but children can only learn and pick up what they see, barely anything of what they are told.

Living by example is showing your children that everything is possible. Being ecstatic about your job and loving your spouse with all your heart, let's your child now that these things are possible for them. If you are not happy with your life, how will they ever be? You need to be the example, the outline, for where you want them to go in life, what you want them to have, and the people you want them around. They'll never know love unless you show them, they'll never know determination unless you show them, and they'll never now gratitude and respect, unless you, the parent, show them.

Parent's pick up very early that children love to mimic them, what we fail to realize is that the learning never stops. They don't see us do a good deed and stop and think how great that is, their mind is still jotting down what we are doing when they see us pick up a $5 bill that we didn't drop.

I'm very guilty of failing to realize that being parent is so much more than just teaching, it's living better for myself, to give her a better start. The one person a child will always trust is their parent. That's a huge responsibility given to one or two people.

I want my child to know what true love is, so my job is to show her in my relationships. I want her to go to college, I need to finish myself. I want her to love her job, I need to be passionate about my work. I want my daughter to never be discouraged, then I do fail, I will get right back up with no complaints.

The reality is, living by example goes beyond daily routines of good deeds and manners. If you can't show them how you want them to live, and set these expectations in your life as well, then your'e leaving their future up to chance. Who knows where that will take them?

*voices.mysanantonio.com/stepfaniebishop