Because we are old people, my husband and I sometimes watch part of the 10pm news in bed. A few nights ago, the anchor briefly mentioned a study proving parent’s stress can be passed onto children. My husband made a quick quip about how stressed our girls were going to be if college football got cancelled this fall.
I feel like this study made an obvious point. Of course our stress spills out onto our children! Pretty much everything we do spills out onto our children! Our children are watching every move we make! I have, many times over, discovered phrases I say too often when I hear my 2.5-year-old daughter say them. Recently she said, “it’s cool” and “we can just hangout for a little bit”.
Noted.
This is, undoubtedly, a strange and stressful time. What are your children gleaning from you? I know my children are gleaning how often in a day it’s acceptable to eat an Oreo. I don’t, however, want them to glean that church and faith are not a priority. I don’t want them to glean fear. I also don’t want them to glean that it’s ok to choose my stance on a major world topic strictly based on party lines.
Here are things I hope my girls are learning in this time. There are some I think I’m doing pretty well and others I know I’m failing miserably at:
- In difficult times – turn to prayer
- In difficult times – help someone else
- In difficult times – God is your rock
- In difficult times – love your family well (biological, church, and chosen)
- In difficult times – find ways to have fun
What about you? What do you want your children to learn from you in this time?
Munger Kids 