The first time I realized that I need to be careful about what I say in front of my kids was when my two year old said the word, crap. For me, it was like she said a swear word since that is about the worst word that I say. But, in reality, as parents, we should always be watching what we say in front of them.
Especially now that my daughter is older, she is not only internalizing words I say, but complete ideas, thoughts, and overall feelings. Several months ago, my son was following his big sis around like little brothers do, and I guess he was bugging her. So, she turned to him and said, “I can’t play with you right now! I’m really busy. I have a lot of stuff to do!” Yikes. That felt like a bad Mommy moment. How many times have I said that to her? Probably more than I want to admit.
On the flip side, our children can also mimic the good behavior in us too. Today, I caught my kids playing together in the other room, and I kept hearing my 4 year old say, “Sweetheart, what do you need?” or “Sweetie, I’ll be right here if you need me.” That made me feel like she must be hearing positive things from Mom as well.
As Mothers, we can’t possibly be perfect. Raising kids is hard. Whether you have one or ten, it can be stressful, and crazy at times. But, we have to realize that they do hear, and internalize everything we say. They are always watching. Kind of scary huh? So, it is baffling to me that you see parents that obviously don’t understand the impact of what they say on their kids. Or maybe you see a parent dropping a kid off at school with a vulgar t-shirt. They must know their child can read, right? Parents are the ultimate role model. We worry so much about what a TV star, or musician might be doing to influence our kids, and sometimes we forget to look where it is most important. Right in our own homes.
Related Articles:
Does Every Girl Want to be a Princess?