They're watching

How is everyone? Haven't written in a while, but have been very busy and in a bad mood. Anyway, this one is a little sentimental, but all you parents out there should be able to identify with this.

In the past few weeks, life in the Reece household has been hectic. Long hours at work, two small children, traveling, company, etc. has started to wear us down. When I get stressed and tired, my "guard" around my children inadvertantly comes down. A curse word from time to time will fly and then I feel bad about it. One of the worst days of recent memory was when my 4 year old dropped the "D word" in front of me when he spilled chocolate milk. My heart broke immediately. Here my innocent child was repeating something he heard me say when I was having a bad day. I explained to him that daddy was wrong to say it, and that those words are not to be said. Thankfully, he hasn't said it since.

The hard part about being a parent, in my opinion, is trying to teach your kids to avoid the mistakes that we've all made as adults. My cursing in front of my child is a good example. I also believe that parts of us feel like we need to raise our kids the same way our parents raised us....some subconcious pressure if you will. I'm not preaching, just sharing some things I've noticed.

Our kids are watching EVERY MOVE WE MAKE! This really hit home with me yesterday. I've known for a long time that my 4 year old watches us. He can talk, cracks the same jokes, imitates us. His favorite thing is to help me cook by cracking eggs on the side of the pan when I'm making him breakfast. However, I assumed my 1 year old is this clueless little person who has no concept of life. How could a baby who can't talk or walk have any idea what's going on? Well, this weekend, my kid taught me more than I've taught him.

My baby and I were taking a shower together.....mainly to see how he would react to water in his face. Also, we were in a time crunch and it was convenient. While I'm holding him, my baby grabbed my wife's razor (i took the blade off), and proceded to play with it. Within 15 seconds, he was holding the razor to my face and pretending to shave me. Now I would like to think he's a genius, but in all reality, he's a child learning from watching. He also takes the hairbrush and puts it up to his head everytime he gets it. I was shocked the first time I saw him do it!! However, I always joke that if a dog can learn, surely a baby can. I guess I never really believed what I was saying. I do now.

Today I had the privilage to spend the day with a well known radio personality. I was there for the experience, but also to see if it's something I could do.....something I've always wanted to do. As I drove home for 2 hours, my mind was spinning about how I could do it, and what I would do if I had my own show. When I got home, I was brought back down to Earth immediately. I went to the bedroom to talk to my 4 year old and he said,"daddy, were you in the car?" I said,"yes, why?" He said,"your ears are cold." He knows that I love the AC on high in my car, and that my big ears are always cold after I get out of the car. Why would he know that?? Because our kids notice EVERYTHING!!

We all have our own opinions on morals, ethics, religion, etc.. And, it's very easy to let some things slide.....things that we, including myself, wouldn't want our kids to do or see. We often think, they don't really know what's going on. Well, I'm convinced they do. My 1 year old knows where a razor and hairbrush go, and my 4 year old can tell when I've been in the car because my ears are cold.

I'm not preaching to anyone.....I'm really talking to myself as I write this. Just consider the example you're setting for your children. I can think of many areas I need to improve on. Just remember.......they're watching.

David