One day when I parked my car at church after dropping kiddos off at school, I discovered these three stowaway passengers. Was it momentarily creepy, you ask? Why yes it was. Only momentarily. They are well-behaved and do not mind subzero temperatures while waiting for hours in the car for Karis.
Like I have done for eight years, Karis had made sure her dolls were snuggled into their seatbelts. Day after day kids watch and learn whether we are in our car, house, neighborhood, church, grocery store, or anywhere else. When I visit with parents whose child will soon be baptized, I love to remind them they are their child’s most prominent teachers about God. Again when a couple is preparing for marriage, I say a similar thing. You know what you know about marriage based on what you learned from your parents (or other adults who raised them) about relationships growing up. For good and for worse, kids learn what they know primarily from parents.
Karis buckled her dolls seatbelts. She also grows impatient all of a sudden. She wants to do things right and likes to help people. When her feelings get hurt she shrinks inward. All that she learned from me.
What is your kiddo or grandkiddo learning from you? You might ask them. I like to ask my kids once in a while, “What’s it like to have me as a mom?” Like any performance review, I often hear things I’d rather be oblivious to, but I truly need to know. Those truths are edifying, even if they are hard to swallow.
If you are unsure about asking your kids such a vulnerable question, you can also watch the backseat of your car to see who is lurking there.
Lisa Lewton 