Children like mirrors

It is a common revelation to new parents that their children reflect the good and bad behavior of their parents. For us parents of young children, it is easy to focus on the really annoying things that our children do. Their misdeeds are ever before our eyes and under our skin. To make matters worse, our parents say things like, "Hmm, I've seen that before" or "The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree". The indictments from our parents only reinforce our worst fears: That maybe these nefarious ghouls that emanated from the love of two reasonably sane people are really just reflecting the true nature of their most present examples of humanity. Yes, maybe the crying fits and annoying repetitions are more a part of our adult life patterns than we care to realize. All this self-incrimination is far too simple to entertain. A more difficult task is to recognize the good that our children are emulating. When we see a flash of brilliance or moment of courage, we are wise to give ourselves a pat on the back because just as a plant can only grow where the soil is fertile, our children grow in the areas that we make amenable to growth.

PAX