{"id":258,"date":"2012-05-30T15:59:33","date_gmt":"2012-05-30T15:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lifeasaconsciousmom\/?p=258"},"modified":"2012-05-30T16:00:49","modified_gmt":"2012-05-30T16:00:49","slug":"5-important-things-to-model-for-your-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lifeasaconsciousmom\/2012\/05\/30\/5-important-things-to-model-for-your-child\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Important Things To Model For Your Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>My dad had this amazing ability to teach anybody anything. He couldn\u2019t swim himself, in fact he wouldn\u2019t even go in the water, but he taught me to swim. He never played a day of tennis, yet he went to the court and helped a friend of the family improve their game.<\/p>\n

We all learn by observation whether we know it or not. My dad, simply chose to do this consciously in his life, so by watching others \u2018do\u2019 he was able to teach.<\/p>\n

Kids learn by watching us \u2018do\u2019. They are like sponges, absorbing every good and not so good habit, tic and idiosyncrasy we possess.<\/p>\n

We can use this sponge-like-dynamic to our advantage by consciously modeling how we want our children to live in the world and who we hope for them to be.<\/p>\n

Here are five behaviors to model, each of which are behaviors that will help your child to become a great person.<\/p>\n

Gratitude <\/strong>\u2013 When we appreciate what we have and those who are in our lives we teach our children to do the same. If all your child hears is you complaining about what you don\u2019t have, or about the ways in which loved ones drive you crazy, your child sees this as the way to live life. If you want your child to be grateful for all that he has and for those that are in his life, he needs to see that in you<\/p>\n

Respect <\/strong>\u2013 Respect is earned, not demanded and that\u2019s true no matter how old we are. Some people think simply because they are the parent that respect should be automatic, but that only works if you rule by fear and control and then what you have isn\u2019t really respect, it\u2019s fear. If you want to develop a healthy relationship with your child and you want them to both respect you and others, you need to demonstrate that level of respect to those around you, including your child.<\/p>\n

Awareness <\/strong>\u2013 We can be aware of others and we can also be self-aware. Both are great attributes to have and to help your child develop. In our day-to-day lives we can demonstrate awareness by paying attention to our surroundings, by acknowledging the needs of others and by acknowledging what is happening personally.<\/p>\n

Sharing<\/strong> \u2013Teach your child to share by sharing yourself. I started \u2018sharing\u2019 with Caidin when he was very little. If he wanted something I had, \u2018I\u2019d say, I would like to share this with you.\u2019 He quickly learned to say \u2018I share\u2019 and give me part of what he had, which was so sweet. The more we have an openness to share, the more we teach our children that there is no \u2018lack\u2019.<\/p>\n

Flexibility<\/strong> \u2013 When we demonstrate the ability to shift and move we teach our children to go with the flow, a life-tool, that I feel, ranks up there as one of the most important. If our children see us fuss and fret over the unexpected, or panic when things don\u2019t go as planned, we teach them that this is the expected response. If we can develop the ability to be flexible, our children will learn that when life is unpredictable, flexibility is what helps us navigate with greater ease.<\/p>\n

In short, whatever behavior we want our child to demonstrate, we have to be right there demonstrating it first. They will always be looking to us for cues and insight into how to live their lives.<\/p>\n

Where Gandhi said \u201cbe the change you want to see in the world,\u201d I say \u201cbe the person you want your child to be in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2012 Christine Agro<\/p>\n

Christine Agro is a clairvoyant, naturopath, Master Herbalist, conscious mom and author of\u00a050 Ways to Live Life Consciously<\/a>\u00a0as well as of\u00a0The Conscious Living Wisdom Cards (Special Moms\u2019 Edition)<\/a>. Christine is founder of\u00a0The Conscious Mom\u2019s Guide<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>, a membership site where she helps support you on your own journey of living life consciously and on your journey of being a Conscious parent. You can also join Christine on\u00a0Facebook<\/em><\/a>. To contact Christine or to schedule an appointment with her please\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My dad had this amazing ability to teach anybody anything. He couldn\u2019t swim himself, in fact he wouldn\u2019t even go in the water, but he taught me to swim. He never played a day of tennis, yet he went to the court and helped a friend of the family improve their game. We all learn…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":495,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3,10],"tags":[13,58,9,102,100,101,29],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conscious-parenting-2","category-life-as-a-conscious-mom","category-list-day","tag-awareness","tag-beliefnet","tag-christine-agro","tag-flexibility","tag-gratitude","tag-respect","tag-sharing"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Important Things To Model For Your Child - Life As A Conscious Mom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lifeasaconsciousmom\/2012\/05\/30\/5-important-things-to-model-for-your-child\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Important Things To Model For Your Child - Life As A Conscious Mom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My dad had this amazing ability to teach anybody anything. 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