What Reflection Do We Want Them To See?
Guest post by Cheryl Nordyke
How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking.” David Joseph Schwartz
There is a moment as a parent when you say something to your child. Something that makes you realize “I have turned into my parent” whether you wanted to or not. Regardless, there you are, duplicating that one thing that you swore as a child or teenager you would never do. We humans are often mirrors. We develop habits like reflections of those we are around. We say things, do things and react to things in a manner similar to our environment.
The key here is to realize this mirroring affect started at a very young age. As a child we just didn’t realize it. Wanting to be big, why? Because being big meant we got to do all these fun things, or what we thought were fun things like our parents did.
So now that we know that we are all a mirror or we are mirroring, what can we do about it? After all, we get to make choices - we don’t have to be a mirror. However, knowing as a parent we are a mirror, what can we do to make sure the reflections we are giving off are the values we want to instill in our childrens lives?
Are we honest in situations or do we take the easy way out? Do we hold grudges or do we forgive? Do we find things to inspire us, do we inspire others? Do we live a life that if we knew our children were going to duplicate we would be proud of?
Do we inspire ourselves to greatness; do we exceed our own expectations? Every day that you are greeted with a sunrise is a new day. This day is an opportunity to no longer be a mirror of what we have been but instead to be window of what we can be -of possibilities. If you happen to have an opportunity to set down with some seniors in high school and listen to them they are driven by individuals that have inspired them. As a parent we can be one of those individuals.
Photo credit:gemsling on Flickr
Comments
Cheryl Nordyke and Kim Wierman are the founders of Waves of Gratitude - a company that exists because of their belief that when life presents you with professional and personal difficulties, a strong foundation of gratitude can help turn those difficulties into opportunities. The owner’s resolve to build a future based on a foundation of gratitude is unwavering. The pair created an online store to give everyone the opportunity to “wear” powerful symbols of gratitude, jewelry and apparel made to personalize the concepts of hope, love, legacy, creativity, optimism, inspiration, confidence and awakening that make everyone beautiful inside and out.
