Duh! Now I finally get it. Have you ever heard something your whole life and you think you understood it perfectly and then you get a new perspective on it and you find out you really understood nothing at all? That happened to me today in Sunday School. Our lesson was "Teaching Children Through Example And Instruction". I have heard all my life that you teach through example. I pray daily that I will be a good example to my children. And I thought I was a good example for them (in most things). But I realized today that I was over generalizing that statement to "teaching by example". I don't use bad language or watch movies that are not appropriate, I don't drink or smoke or do any of those things. But when I was thinking in class today about the things that my children do that are a problem, the things that they do that make me mad, the things that they do that I am trying to teach them not to do-those things are things they do by following my example. My BAD example. For instance-it drives me crazy that my girls cannot put their clothes away. Nice dresses thrown on the floor after church, dirty clothes that never make it in the dirty clothes hamper, shoes never put away, clothes that they put on and then decide not to wear so they discard them on the floor. This is a constant battle in our home. Well guess what??? I do the EXACT same thing! Of course I have a good excuse. I am way too busy to deal with things like hanging my dress up after church because I have a crying baby that needs to be fed and I have to make lunch for the other 3 kids. I have a chair with a nice big footstool in my bedroom. That footstool is almost always covered with discarded clothing. But I am too busy to deal with it right now and I will be the one who puts things away later so it is ok if I leave it out until I have more time. How can I expect my children to do anything different when that is the example they have placed before them? DUH! After all these years I finally get it. Be an example- not just in general terms, but in very practical, everyday situations.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Ode To Joy #7 - In Word AND In Deed
Duh! Now I finally get it. Have you ever heard something your whole life and you think you understood it perfectly and then you get a new perspective on it and you find out you really understood nothing at all? That happened to me today in Sunday School. Our lesson was "Teaching Children Through Example And Instruction". I have heard all my life that you teach through example. I pray daily that I will be a good example to my children. And I thought I was a good example for them (in most things). But I realized today that I was over generalizing that statement to "teaching by example". I don't use bad language or watch movies that are not appropriate, I don't drink or smoke or do any of those things. But when I was thinking in class today about the things that my children do that are a problem, the things that they do that make me mad, the things that they do that I am trying to teach them not to do-those things are things they do by following my example. My BAD example. For instance-it drives me crazy that my girls cannot put their clothes away. Nice dresses thrown on the floor after church, dirty clothes that never make it in the dirty clothes hamper, shoes never put away, clothes that they put on and then decide not to wear so they discard them on the floor. This is a constant battle in our home. Well guess what??? I do the EXACT same thing! Of course I have a good excuse. I am way too busy to deal with things like hanging my dress up after church because I have a crying baby that needs to be fed and I have to make lunch for the other 3 kids. I have a chair with a nice big footstool in my bedroom. That footstool is almost always covered with discarded clothing. But I am too busy to deal with it right now and I will be the one who puts things away later so it is ok if I leave it out until I have more time. How can I expect my children to do anything different when that is the example they have placed before them? DUH! After all these years I finally get it. Be an example- not just in general terms, but in very practical, everyday situations.
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10 comments:
So, what happened to you working on some paragraphs?
Isn't it funny how the things we get most annoyed about in our kids, are the things that are most like us.
Oh, and that must be a picture of what your closet looks like now since you had that eye opening lesson.
Where did you find that pic of my closet?
Ok, it dosen't make paragraphs in blogger, it just wraps everything all together. I guess I could try not to talk too much and just have shorter posts if that would make you happier. And yes, that is MY closet, not yours Kristy. Isn't it purty.
Farrah, I know what you mean about the things our kids do that bug us are the things that they get from us. I think that all the time. I get so irritated and then I think, why is Zac so hyper at bed time. And then I go oh yeah! That is definatly straight from my gene pool. Or why do they have to make loud obnoxious noises??? Again. How can I be mad at them when I do the same thing??? I am just old enough to control my outbursts, most of the time.
is that really your closet? If so i am jealous.
Please Kristy. I wish!
cant you write in paragraphs like everyone else....dad
All you have to do is push the enter button. It isn't that hard.
All y'all can just shut up and leave me and my no paragraph makin' self alone. If you don't like it you don't have to read it. You just can't stand not reading it though, 'cause I am so very entertaining.
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