The most important part of parenting is also the toughest. That is: being the example.
I once read somewhere that “parents are patterns.”
It’s so true. Everything we do, say, feel… Our kids absorb
and make their own. If we look at ourselves we act and say many things that our parents said.
The old expression is “kids more attention pay to what you do then what you say.”
That’s why one of the best things we can do for our kids,
is to resolve our past issues.
That way, those issues simply aren’t there for them to absorb.
And they won’t have to live with them.
At the same time, if we work on building our strengths, are kids
absorb those too. They’ll usually absorb the desire to
build their own.
But it all starts with us 😉
Spending time with our children of course is very important, but it can hurt matters if our habits are bad. Total self-responsibility is the course we have to take (The West Point way of leadership). If our kid’s dietary habits are bad, why is that? We have to look back at us. Are we eating poorly or allowing junk food in the house? That is what self-responsibility is about, little to no excuses. If we are involved in healthy growth activities it will rub off on them. Habits are created by what we do daily.
If we are having trouble in a particular area with our children we may want to look at our habits in that area and see if that could be the reason. Often times it is. Our children are always watching us and seeing how we handle different situations. Part of improving our parenting is building a better self.
This article was written by Master Jack DeSousa 6th Dan Black Belt in Taekwon-Do. Master DeSousa also has ranking in Hapkido and has been in the Martial Arts since 1982. Master DeSousa served in the US Air force and has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of New Hampshire.
Master DeSousa founded Martial Arts Advantage (formerly known as North West Taekwon-Do in 2003.
Martial Arts Advantage recently was voted the top school for 2018 from the UTA (United Taekwon-Do Alliance).
Martial Arts Advantage is located in Centerton AR, but also serves Bentonville, Gravette, Bella Vista, Cave Springs Pea Ridge, and Rogers. Our school is proud to have graduated over 125 Black Belts, making the communities of Northwest Arkansas better, one Black Belt at a time.
