Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
We are the greatest role models for our children; they obey and follow everything we ask and expect of them, at least in their formative years. It is for this reason that children are often referred to as wet clay, both for how impressionable they are and for the fact that they can be molded into pretty much anything we want. However, there is a catch to this: apparently, kids’ imitation skills are better than their listening skills.
In other words, your children are more likely to follow your actions than your words. You can tell them all day that speaking the truth is a good habit, but these words are bound to fall on deaf ears if your behavior does not reflect the truthfulness you preach. We can tell our children that anger is our worst enemy, but chances are that they will look at anger as a worthwhile outlet if they often see us fly off the handle. This is one of the many reasons why parenting is such a huge responsibility. More often than not, you need to fine-tune certain aspects of your personality, so you can be the perfect role model for your kids.
While this is easier said than done, we should aim to be the people we want to see our children become when they grow up. If we want them to become honest, responsible citizens, that is exactly what we need to become ourselves. The harder we work on becoming better human beings, the better our children will get. After all, we are the best examples for our young ones. It is really up to us whether we want to become a good example, or a bad one. The author of Life’s Little Instruction Book, Harriett Jackson Brown Jr., is noted for his quote in this regard: “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.”