Watch and Learn

James noticed that I think a lot about how our choices will affect our family long-term. An example that I shared with my mom today:

When Judah was not quite as communicative as he is now, maybe a year ago, he hit his head on the coffee table. His Mimi said, "Did that table hurt you? Bad table!" And she hit the table.

Now, this may seem trivial. For my mom, it was familiar. But it absolutely drove me nuts. I could just see Judah playing with other children, getting hurt, and telling the kid who accidentally ran into him that the kid was bad, hitting the kid, and feeling justified.

I believe that everything we say and do teaches our children. When Judah walked in on me recently with my hands in the air, my eyes closed, and tears streaming down my cheeks, he said, "Is that a tear? Why is that a tear?"

I said, "I'm crying because my heart is so full. I love God and I love you and sometimes it comes out in my tears."

A few days later, Judah whimpers in the car. I look at him, and he says, "I'm crying because I love God."

See.

They pay attention to EVERYthing. They're brilliant little creatures who soak it all in, just waiting for an opportunity to show us what they've picked up from us. There is so much I didn't know about myself until I began to see it in my son.