Lessons in What Really Matters

I watched a couple of video clips this morning that really left me thinking about what we are doing as parents.

1.  Children really DO learn everything that they see.  

I watched THIS video early this morning.  It really convicted me that I need to strive to be at my best every minute that I am in front of them.  To that end, I need to do the things that work so I can be at my best every minute: pray, breathe, reflect, and remind myself why I am important and why they are important.

2.  Our daughters are getting messages about their image and their self-worth every time they see women portrayed in the media.

It is so hurtful to hear Puma say she doesn’t want to be part Mexican – she will only claim her Puerto Rican heritage.  Not a big surprise given the way the State of Arizona vilifies people of Mexican descent.  This moving (and short!) speech by Lupita Nyong’o offered a great starting point for the conversation about what is really important about beauty.

“You can’t “eat” beauty – you can’t rely on how you look to sustain you.  What actually sustains us, what is fundamentally beautiful, is compassion: for yourself and those around you. That kind of beauty inflames the heart and enchants the soul…And so, I hope my presence on your screens and in magazines may lead you, young girl on a similar journey. That you will feel the validation of your external beauty, but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside.  That, there is no shade in that beauty.”

You can watch the whole speech HERE.

3. Partnership is important.  

Have you seen the 25 “rules” for mothers raising sons from blogger Tabitha Studer?  It has been loved and hated all over the internet.  While I agree with most of them, I feel like the things I do just can’t beat the example that their dad sets for them.  He is hard-working, dedicated, a leader and demonstrates that he loves all of us with his words and his actions.  That example is something our sons can learn from and model themselves after every minute of every day.

As far as impacting all of our children, our partnership sets the example our children will have as a baseline when they choose partners.  I will praise him in front of our children more often, instead of at the end of a long day when we are both falling into bed.  They should hear how he is loved and appreciated by me when we are all awake.  I also want them to know that we are team, and that teamwork is a worthwhile and rewarding endeavor.

What really matters to you when you think about the impact you want to make on your child’s life?