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Monday, May 16, 2011

Reflections on Parenting

Want to know if you're doing a good job speaking kindly to your children and moderating your tone of voice?

Listen to what's coming out of those same children's mouths.

"STOP IT!" "No!" "Owwwwwwwww-uh!"

Do you hear a lot of whining? Moaning? Bickering? Complaining? General expressions of discontent? I can tell you that the phrases and tones that drive me crazy, my kids picked up from their parents, friends, and favorite movies.

And I have control over those influences! I can pay attention to what's coming out of my mouth. I can carefully screen the screens, so to speak. I can watch when friends come over and encourage kind speech.

The influence we have over children is incredibly powerful stuff. So let's hear it, tell me what your kids say that's nails on a chalkboard to you.

4 comments:

  1. I think the hardest is watching what we say.
    I have some serious personal space issues so I hear lots of "get out of my face!"

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  2. AHHHHHHHHHHH! This drives me nuts, His best friend- the little neighbor girl his age comes over, then he now says "MIIIIINE! says Cami"
    Yes, he's quoting them- imitating them & giving them credit. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! says Azi" "Stooooooooop it" says Eli

    Annoying.

    We try to ignore it, but you know how their harddrives work.

    I'll never get over him saying "Dang it" after he heard me at the mailbox ONCE. ONE TIME I tell you is all it takes.

    MAN!

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  3. Yeeeah guilty.

    The one thing that drives me absolutely crazy is when my son quotes movies. Because he does non-stop. He can watch a movie once and have it memorized. It's basically the most irritating thing ever to hear him talking, stop what I am doing and try to listen, and realize he is quoting some stupid cartoon. Gah!!!! We are cutting back on our movie time but still. Sheesh.

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  4. One time I almost turned in front of a car when I didn't have enough time (luckily I realized it before I actually went), and the accident would've been on my husband's side. He jokingly said, "Yeah, don't kill me today, please!" For the next few weeks, every time we were in the grocery store Samuel would say, "Mom, don't kill me!" I guess I'm just lucky that CPS never heard it... ;0)

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