{"id":7258,"date":"2014-01-29T17:33:18","date_gmt":"2014-01-29T15:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/responsive.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents\/?p=7258"},"modified":"2022-06-09T20:03:31","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T18:03:31","slug":"your-kids-are-listening-to-everything-be-careful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/parenting\/being-present\/your-kids-are-listening-to-everything-be-careful\/","title":{"rendered":"Maybe our kids are listening \u2013 Let\u2019s be careful!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know our kids have a knack of saying the weirdest things at the most inopportune times.\u00a0 Once, my son said to my mother in law, \u201cYou know, Mama calls other drivers stupid!\u201d\u00a0 Thank goodness it was only stupid and not any of the other innovative adjectives I find in my head!\u00a0 Needless to say, I had a hard time explaining that one away.\u00a0 I\u2019ve since reserved road rage related comments for times when I\u2019m alone in the car.<\/p>\n

Our kids emulate and learn everything from us<\/h2>\n

(I know, it\u2019s a no-brainer now that I think about it).\u00a0 The thing is that we often tend to forget that it\u2019s not only when we sit down to doing homework or having a life skills afternoon that kids pick up things from us.\u00a0 Most times they\u2019re listening and watching when we are interacting with others around us.\u00a0 So it seems pertinent to always be a good role model to them.\u00a0 Teaching them to always be kind and giving and then totally ignoring or worse still, mumbling profanities under your breathe to the beggar at the window, is bound to be confusing.\u00a0 Or reminding them to always be courteous and greet people that you know and then pretending not to see your neighbour may make them think that you\u2019re losing your eyesight.\u00a0 (The woman just talks too much!)<\/p>\n

What we say and do daily has an impact on the little eyes and ears around us<\/h2>\n

They are waiting to sponge it all up. It may become difficult when we are put into situations that test our patience or raise our blood pressure, to keep it together and act in an orderly fashion.\u00a0 Who wouldn\u2019t blow their tops when faced with bad service on a day when you were up half the night due to your toddlers\u2019 inability to soothe himself after one of his \u201cnightmares\u201d.\u00a0 Or when you\u2019re on hold for 45 minutes trying to sort your internet connection out for the umpteenth time while changing a nappy and packing a swimming lesson bag (there are way too few hours in the day).<\/p>\n

All this said and done,\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t think our kids are going to become ill-mannered individuals that walk the earth confused about what\u2019s right and what\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n

I do believe that we need to be consistent and aware<\/h2>\n

of how we treat them and others and what we allow them to hear from us.\u00a0 We all were saddened by the passing of our great leader Nelson Mandela. \u00a0Maybe what we should take from him most was his way of always saying the right thing, always being positive, always being a good role model and always bringing good to those around him.\u00a0 And hope that what we\u2019ve taught our kids will lead them to be great adults just as he was.<\/p>\n

This article was originally written for Jozikids by Fatima Kazee in 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

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