Sometimes Your Kids Surprise You

Sometimes your kids surprise you with what they are learning. This past week, Shane and I sat working on cards for friends in our cozy Christmas decorated living room. We used cookie cutters and paint brushes to make our cards (you can find a tutorial on how we made cookie cutter Christmas cards here) and I would scribe Shane's notes and messages. When it came time to write who the card was from Shane insisted he write his own name. I handed him the marker and assumed I would just write his name in parenthesis underneath his little doddle so that the recipient would know who the card was from. To my surprise Shane wrote his name and he did a really good job! Where did my son learn how to write his own name? When I asked him, he responded, "I learned the letters from my wall and how to write my name from Mommy and Dad?"

I am learning as a mother that my children are constantly watching me. They are constantly learning from me, for better or worse. To my surprise and joy this past week my son delighted me by writing his own name. However, this amazing ability made me stop to examine my other actions. If Shane learned how to write his name from watching me, what else has he been learning? Am I teaching him negative physical habits from my lack of exercise this past year? Am I modeling positive spiritual habits by praying with him?