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How many of you have had an experience when you were with your family or your friends and you realized how much of your behaviour was learned from them? And have you noticed how when you start following a particular celebrity, maybe a musician or athlete, you start behaving in some ways similar to them.
I was once a big fan of Micheal Jackson. By that I don't mean I was an adult when he was alive I wasn't but I had more of a Micheal Jackson phase. When we went to parties the only dance I could think of was his and even for a female, I tried to moonwalk. I'm not saying girls shouldn't moonwalk but you barely see them do it.
But I've noticed how our children learn most of what they know and how they behave, not from our words, but from our actions. We can say whatever we want about discipline, respect and not leaving dirty dishes out, but children don't pay any attention to the words we speak, they watch our actions.
I have seen many families with many different types of parenting styles. Some parents are very disciplined and others are not, but they all have one thing in common. When I visit them I see children learning from their parents and when they don't know they are being watched. This compels me to be more accountable for my decisions, I'm not married and don't have kids but I intend to which means in future when God blesses me with kids, the spouse I choose and myself will have the biggest influence on their behavior.
That's why I'm compelled to be accountable, because I know that my children will reflect my behaviour regardless of how much advice I give them.
When I do something that I know is not a good example, I really feel guilty. All my decisions, whether I intended to teach them or not will in the end serve as a lesson to my children. So my behaviour will always be more important to them than anything that I say.