Daddy Did You Know?

This morning I was doing one of my all time favorite things - singing. Not just any singing though, I was rewriting lyrics to one of the all time favorite Christmas songs - Mary Did You Know. I was feeling a bit perturbed by my hubby's attitude, as he grumbled and moaned through our home while getting ready for work, and I started thinking - does he know that every move he make is not only being watched, but absorbed and emanated by his 7 year old son? So, in true fashion, I thought I'd sing my hubs a song- to get the point across. It went a li;' something like this: Daddy did you know, that your baby boy watches ev'ry move? Daddy did you know, that your baby boy is learning that from you? This child that you have fathered, will turn out just like you.

Of course my ballad was not met with the season's cheer as one would have expected, but I sang it all the same. Then after the drama had died down, becuase they both left for school and work, I started thinking about my own actions. And those of my son's father. Do we remember that at every moment our child is watching, and learning. He is sponging up every move we make. And that every time we speak out of line, or roll the eyes, or raise our voices, or deal with stress by shouting and so forth that this is what our child is learning? How will he ever learn to deal with the stress of a stubborn boss, a wayward child or conflict in his own relationships when we are setting this type of example?
Needless to say, my song impacted me as well. You see, my greatest fear is that my boy will have to struggle through this life and I want, as many of us parents do, to protect him from as many of those struggles as possible. I know that I cannot keep him guarded from everything but I can use my behavior to teach him to avoid the negatives, instead of thinking that they are the norm. I am teaching my son what a wife looks like. Good or bad, I am the one teaching that lesson. And his Daddy is teaching him how to love a wife. How to love a woman. I am teaching him what respecting a man looks like as well. I am teaching him how to stay in a marriage, and have that marriage not only be healthy- but happy, fun, and a place of peace and joy.Well that is what I should be teaching him anyway. I guess I have to challenge myself and ask if that is really the case.

When you start thinking in those terms, it changes everything. Every move is now different. Every moment is so much more sacred. So, that is what I am taking into this season. As we prepare for the holidays, I will focus on the lessons I can teach my child about the joy and peace of the season - and that it starts with me and Daddy.

What will you teach your little one's this season? What lessons will you impart to the them?