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What we teach our Children

Article:
The following article is offered for free use in your ezine,
print publication or on your web site, so long as the author
resource box at the end is included, with hyperlinks.
Notification of publication would be appreciated.

Title: What we teach our Children
Author: Andrea Cyrus, Msc.D., Rev., Mht.
E-mail: mailto:andrea@truechanges.com
Copyright: ©2005 by Andrea Cyrus
URL: http://joyfulparenting.truechanges.com/
URL: http://www.truechanges.com

Word Count: 377
Category: Parenting

What we teach our Children

I am becoming aware how much influence I have on my children and the children I work with on a daily basis. This is big and true for all of us.

I teach them even when I am not aware of it, when I simply flow through the house doing what comes next. Each time I get involved in their business, each time I talk to them, when I ignore them, as I am living my life, I am teaching.

What I do and how I respond to my Children, how much I get involved in their life it all makes a difference. The old way of thinking and approaching my children quickly falls away as I witness that as I am fixing their problems I teach them they can’t do it on their own.

Even my 2 year old learns that I am not willing to get involved in her business of not wanting to share


or not getting a toy back. If I do get involved, what do I teach her?
Don’t I volunteer to be her persoanl, everyday referee? Don’t I ask to be included in her battles? Don’t I tell her that I will fix her problems because she can’t? Don’t I take the role of judge and prosecutor by making up my mind about what is fair and not fair (even when my own limited perception can not be accurate)?

If I tell my child that it is not my job to determine who should get the toy, I send her on the way to solve her own problem and to learn from her own mistakes. She learns from her different approaches. She learns about choices.

You may think that this could never work in your home because you have experienced that things can get out of hand, and kids can easily get physical and violent if you don’t get involved.

Point taken and I have to admit it is harder NOT to get involved than to get involved AT FIRST. There is fear, and a bunch of what if’s……
My biggest what if though would be: “What if I prevent my children to learn, to become self-reliant and self-responsible because I let fear get in the way?”


About the Author

Andrea Cyrus, Author of the e-book Joyful Parenting, Life Coach and Dr. of Metaphysical Science has a passion for finding joy, and joyfully shares her findings through her work as a Life Coach.