Children Repeat More Than You Might Think

Have you ever noticed that children repeat everything you say? Perhaps, you are having a stressful morning and remark, "It's a terrible day." They repeat it and believe it. Another morning you see the sun come up and you say, "It's a great day." They repeat it and believe it. Another day you sing, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Finally, they gain understanding. If you notice, in every case, it is not just the words; it's the attitude and perspective that adds to the impact we make on our children. They learn and grow from our example.

Jaden asked me this morning to sing him the Ghostbusters song. I smiled and sang it to him the best that I could. He listening intently, smiled and said, "That's right!" He was overjoyed. "That's what the teacher at church said!" he remarked. I thought, "They couldn't have been talking about Ghostbusters at church on Sunday." Then, after some clarification, I realized that it was not the case, but it was the simple words of affirmation and the positive attitude from a Sunday School teacher that he was repeating. The simple phrase "That's right!" combined with an attitude of approval, brought joy to him days later. That's the kind of impact we can have on our children, and I am thankful for that.

What kinds of words or phrases do you want your kids repeating? I like to hear "That's a great idea!" or "Let's go outside!" What kinds of actions do you want your kids to repeat? Doing yard work, cooking, or picking up toys might be few of them. What kinds of attitudes do you want to be reflected in them? A spirit of thanksgiving, a lack of complaining. If you display such characteristics, your kids will follow in your example. Lastly, what about perspective? What matters to you? How important is family? How important is being out and appreciating God's creation?  How important is it to learn, and have fun, and enjoy one another? These perspectives will be reflected in your children.

I pray that you realize the impact you are making, and choose to make it a good one every day.

Thanks for reading!

Melissa Seng