Be The Change
“Yes, I smoke, but you are not allowed to do so,” said he.
“Yes, I told a lie, but you must not do that,” said she.
I have grown up seeing my parents who firmly believed in ‘Do as I say, not as I do’.
Perhaps that’s because they did not want me to make the mistakes they made in their lives.
I read somewhere kids often imitate their parents, they absorb the parents’ attitudes, mannerisms and even life perspectives and then of course genes play a role too.
But, I’d practice what I’d preach.
Yes, I’d do things differently.
This is a fiction written for Write Tribe’s 100 Words on Saturday Prompt: I’d do things differently
Image Courtesy : MorgueFile.com
December 3, 2013 5:54 pm|
“I read somewhere kids often imitate their parents” – This is incorrect. Kids are one step ahead of their parents. In every generation.
Destination Infinity
December 3, 2013 8:53 pm|
That’s a perspective Rajesh. True, kids in every generation are a step ahead of their parents due to the changing times. But the general basic traits, mannerisms are certainly picked up from parents!
December 3, 2013 7:16 pm|
Oh yes, kids subconsciously imbibe what they see. Hence parents have even more responsibility to behave responsibly.
December 3, 2013 9:00 pm|
Agree with this completely. Children are essentially a blank slate. Granted, there are several traits that are inborn or inherited, but mostly children learn right and wrong through observation of others. Until they are of schooling age, their parents are the predominant role models in a child’s life. So, yes, parents have a bigger responsibility in that regard.
December 3, 2013 8:17 pm|
Oh yes, oh yes! Loved this, Shilpa. One of the topics I want to write about this month is integrity and I can see myself linking this post of yours to it! 🙂
December 3, 2013 9:01 pm|
That’s cool, Corinne. Looking forward to your post on this topic. Thanks 🙂
December 3, 2013 9:49 pm|
Children are a greater reflection of their parents than they would ever realise, or acknowledge. However, if every child thought exactly that way his parents did, do you think we would have moved out the caves and animal skin skirts and be living like the way we do? Children learn the good, and reject what they see as irrelevant to their day and age.
I’m with you. 🙂
December 3, 2013 10:08 pm|
Children do imitate and reflect their parent’s behaviour , attitudes, mannerisms but they are the biggest critics of their parents. One of my teacher’s would say that even though the genes are inherited , kids have a mind of their own. But I have observed each child is different.
A though provoking post.
December 3, 2013 10:32 pm|
Children observe and understand a lot more than we think! Absolutely loved this post!
December 3, 2013 10:56 pm|
This is absolutely brilliant. I can identify with this so much. Both of my parents smoked and drank. My sister followed suit. I am the oddball. I have never smoked, but while I have drank a drink occasionally socially I never drink. Maybe one cocktail on New Years Eve these days…and that is all it takes to make me “happy” and quite lit. LOL ♥
December 4, 2013 1:31 am|
kids do follow parents but I feel we should explain to them the Ys and not just impose. It’s true that children follow parents as models. Love ur take, Shilpa.
December 4, 2013 1:33 am|
Agree with Sakshi who so beautifully summed up.
December 4, 2013 5:00 am|
Wonderful take on the prompt. Loved how the narrator ie, the child decides to practice what he/she would preach. Just like Sakshi said, each successive generation is smart enough to imbibe the best from earlier generations, add their own wisdom to it and move forward.
December 4, 2013 6:12 am|
Children learn a lot by observing their surroundings Shilpa, parents are a major influence yes but for good or bad they are not the only influence. In today’s world with overload on senses, children seemed to think and react very much above and beyond what we think they are capable of.
December 4, 2013 8:48 am|
Surely the children pick up most from their parents and emulate them later in life! Short n crisp, Shilpa:)
December 4, 2013 9:58 am|
Kids imitate parents! True. But not always. I know a family where the father drinks every day and the son never touches alcohol. The same father is a strict vegetarian and the son eats only non veg.
December 4, 2013 10:40 am|
SO verrry true!!! We expect our kids to be perfect but we never take an effort to set example infront of them….
December 4, 2013 12:22 pm|
Yes, we must practice what we preach. That is the toughest part of parenting. 🙂 Well said Shilpa. 🙂
December 4, 2013 12:57 pm|
Children definitely reflect their parents. But I feel once they are adults, they do have their own take on everything and they do things differently from the parents.
December 4, 2013 7:56 pm|
Yes it’s universally accepted now that kids imitate their parents and learn a lot by observing them.
December 4, 2013 10:09 pm|
You touched a nerve Shilpa.. It’s such a struggle being a role model. Since the kids came along we made so may changes in our life so that they do not pick up our bad habits.
December 4, 2013 11:14 pm|
oh yes! I read somewhere that kids are always watching us, seeing and emulating how we as parents behave…
nicely done Shilpa! 🙂
December 5, 2013 12:11 am|
I always promised myself I won’t be angry to my kids like my mom did when I ate up her head… but here I’m can’t even tolerate my 14 year old brother… Wonder what my kids will do with me 😀
December 5, 2013 6:39 pm|
Any normal child is very observant.Each act and move is being followed.Within our own family,there are those who are smokers but don’t smoke in front of their kids.
Parents have to be extremely careful now that kids have so much exposure on the net
December 6, 2013 12:42 am|
Child is truly the father of the man. Not only do they learn it all from their parents, they constantly improvise too!
December 6, 2013 1:24 am|
Aptly put. In fact perfect 🙂
December 6, 2013 11:18 am|
Loved this post! 🙂
December 6, 2013 11:29 am|
Very interesting and appropriate post. Loved it.
December 6, 2013 12:27 pm|
as the sanskrit saying goes – yatha pitha thatha putra.” like father, so is son”.
amazed at your creativity of bringing out such crisp but insightful posts, shilpa.
December 7, 2013 12:59 am|
Bravo Shilpa. Children are the reflection of their parents, but there is no set rule 🙂
December 8, 2013 10:31 pm|
Very well put, Shilpa. Children learn from their parents.
December 8, 2013 11:17 pm|
I don’t think it applies to everybody or most people. For I know for a fact, that children who see their parents smoking/ drinking have a total aversion to such bad habits. Despite having the freedom to do as they please, they somehow do not choose to drink and smoke. Now a days children are more aware of the effects of these things, and also they are more health conscious, than their parents who were brought up in a different era, when smoking and drinking was a taboo and they had to rebel against that/ sometimes it was also taken up t o make a style or fashion statement.
That is why we used to have these stupid actors / villains roaming around with cigarettes/ cigars, and a drink in their hands. The stupidest thing was to watch doctors smoking endlessly.
December 16, 2013 12:27 pm|
Yes, ” I do, you do…”, it mustn’t be just ” I say, but you do” !