Challenge: Parenting By Example

I've had plenty of posts here about different reviews and different goings ons, but looking back, I hardly have written anything personal or substantial. I have not written anything that proves I am a writer, and creative being. The reason for that, is I have had tendencies to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of deadlines, payments, and getting my blog to pay my bills, that I've put on the back burner any blog posts that I have felt had any deep meaning to me.

The holidays are coming to an end, and this morning I find myself in a place of quiet. I've turned on my computer and for some reason, came straight to my blog and just felt like.... writing. We've all had time to reflect on the year's past, spend time with our children, and be grateful for everything we have while looking forward to new things we will achieve in 2013.

As part of this process, I've reflected mainly on how I have been raising my daughters. I've blogged before about raising my daughters, and my husband and I are very proud of what we have accomplished with all of the children so far, but whenever I feel the need to improve myself, I always look at them first.

*Pic taken hiking with the girls*

I came across a lovely quote the other day before I went to the store, "To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself every once in a while." I thought it was funny, and long, and continued to get read and head to Target. Truly started running from aisle to aisle like any other 5 year old, when I asked her for the 28th time to walk by the cart. She was not paying attention to me, so I yelled at her and asked her,
"Why is it so hard to pay attention to me?!" She gave me the look of fear that only a kindergartner can have knowing Mom is losing patience and held on to the cart like an obedient child. This obedience is always short lived, but it is nice for the 5 minutes it lasts.

We continued to walk through the store when I got a call on my phone. I answered the phone and chatted with my sister as I maneuvered the cart through the tricky lanes of Target. Suddenly, as I was laughing with my sister about something she had said, CRACK I slammed right into a woman in a wheelchair.

"Why can't you just pay attention?!" The old woman scolded me. Turning red, I apologized immensely and she rolled away with her daughter staring at me.

I looked at Truly, and I could tell what was going to happen. In a second she starts bursting out laughing, grabbing her side, over reacting of course.

"Why is it so hard to pay attention mama?" She finally said, laughing some more. I gave her another look and she was back to being my obedient girl.

"Just kidding" she said, and put her arms around my waist as we walked to the counter.

We hear all the time about having to lead by example, children watch us more than they listen to us. Every part of that is true.

• How can we tell our children to go for their dreams, while we never finished that bachelor's degree? 
• How can they learn to respect others when we fight with the receptionist at the doctor's office? 
• How can they learn what love is, when you fight with your husband about something as simple as the dishes?

You need to be what you want your children to be. If you want your child to travel on a road of integrity, you must have been there to show them the way.

As a parent, I've learned things as an "on the go" basis, like every other parent in the world. It seems as though our children are teaching us what we should do.

Needless to say, the cell phone now stays in the car at the store.