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"Don't do as I do. Do as I say." That is the advice many of us have heard all our lives, especially when we were youngsters. That is about the poorest advice we will ever receive. It just doesn't work that way. The truth is, the very advice we follow is the example we see from those we respect the most. Being an example is a role we inherit but may not want. Make no mistake about it, however: we are all in that position at one time or another.
As a parent, you might ask the question, "How proud would I be if my child grew up to be just like me?" The parent that drives like a maniac, then says to his teenage son, "Be careful," should not complain when the boy returns home with a speeding ticket.
The coach that yells and screams at the officials cannot be surprised when his star player gets a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. After all, the example speaks much louder than the words you say. There is an ancient proverb that says, "What you teach your child, you teach your child's child." Oh, how often I have experienced this in my own life.
The exact traits I seen from my own dad I see mirrored in my own children and even my grandchildren. It is an awesome responsibility being a parent, but being an example for others happens in all walks of life. The teacher, the preacher, the business person and even the town bum all set an example that others follow.
There is a poem I read that challenges me and says much better than I can write the importance of living your testimony instead of just talking it. It goes like this:
I'd rather see a sermon, than to hear one, any day.
I'd rather one should walk with me, than merely show the way.
I can soon learn how to do it, if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run!
All the speeches you deliver, may be wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do.
Though I may not understand you, and the fine advice you give,
There is no misunderstanding how I see you act and live!
In the sports world, they put it this way, "It is easy to talk the talk, but you had better be able to walk the walk." Make no mistake about it, the fine advice you give will never take the place of how you act and live.
Labels: Parenting
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