Parent Ponderings

My whole life I have noticed how children behave, I know you have too. Admit it, when you see a child  behaving in public, especially if the behavior is unruly, you can't help but stare. There is something about children that captivates us, we watch their every move. The cute little things they say, the way they look at the world, they are amazing!

It is funny though, before I had children of my own I use to think that kids were a reflection of their parents. That if a child acted a certain way, he must have been taught that behavior by his parents. Buuuuuttttttt... then I had kids of my own. When my kids were very small I remember thinking how embarrassed I was when they acted unruly in public, because everyone was looking at me thinking, "That mother doesn't discipline her kids!" Inside I was filled with worry and embarrassment about what people thought of my parenting.  It was not all in my head, I want you to know, I actually was un-invited to playgroups and one home-school co-op because of my children's behavior! That was so hard for us because we felt like we were really disciplining our kids and couldn't understand why they acted like they did in public.

Recently, I have been going through the book of John and meditating on the phrases of Jesus when He speaks of "His Father". This particular verse I have heard many times, but not in the context of what I had been meditating on.

"Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." John 5:19

Isn't it interested that Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing? Can I take this out of context for a minute, just for contemplation? Even Jesus imitated what He saw, and isn't that the point? Children imitate what they see, we can all agree on that. What I am not eluding to is that if my child is throwing themselves on the ground, that means they saw me do that!

What I am wondering though, is what does it mean? What about when you see a child with excellent behavior? Does that mean their parents are "excellent"? I know there are other contributors to child behavior, but my contemplation is specifically about what behaviors children get from their parents. What thoughts do you have on child behavior as it related to parent behavior?

- Gina