​Becoming Role Model To Your Children – part 1 #starlingschool

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He’s just like his father. Like father, like son. A chip off the old block. She is definitely her mother’s daughter. Common sense, simple observation, and psychological research show that these down-home adages reflect a truth in human development – that children often grow up to mimic the behavior, beliefs, and attitudes of their parents.
Are you a role model for your child? Parenting can be tough, but one of the most basic ways we can raise our children is simply by being a good role model for them.

How does a parent become a role model?

Every time you say something, take an action or have a reaction to someone or something, your child is observing your behavior. At infancy, this is how children gain language skills and eventually learn to talk. Preschoolers depend upon observation as they begin to understand and test the workings of interpersonal relationships, and your teenagers, believe it or not, are listening to your words and observing your actions, examining how you handle everything from personal relationships to stress to career disappointments. So whether you like it or not, you’re already a role model. The real challenge for parents is to provide a positive example as often as possible.

“Parenting by example” is probably the best, simplest and most all-encompassing parenting advice you will ever get. But it’s not always easy. As parents, we all have days when we argue with a family member or say something we know we’ll regret later. The simple truth is none of us are perfect, and we will certainly do something, someday, that we wish our child hadn’t heard or witnessed. Your actions after a misstep like this are just as important as your initial actions. It’s moments like these that allow you to demonstrate such challenging emotions as forgiveness, humility and empathy. So the next time you aren’t the picture of parenting perfection, take a moment to step back and talk to your child about what just happened. If you’ve said something unkind to your spouse, for example, make sure your children can also hear you apologize and discuss the incident.