Every parent has had a moment when they realize “Oh my gosh, I sound exactly like my mom/dad/grandma/uncle/crazy next door neighbor.” I’ve definitely had these moments, though it’s not always a bad thing. I’ve also had a lot of “Holy camolie, my children sound just like ME!”
Every parent knows that children listen to everything and once they can, will repeat anything they hear. The general rule of thumb is to watch what you say, but this is usually in reference to cursing. What is often not thought about is all the other things we say, especially those directed at our children.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Honeybun repeat the things I often say to her. And honestly, more than once, hearing her has changed the way I parent. Sometimes we as parents think we need to “dumb down” what we say or be direct and concise but those types of statements are things we would consider completely inappropriate and disrespectful if spoken to us.
It’s really hard to explain to a young child why it’s okay for you to say things but not for them to say the exact same words. I usually explain by saying “because you’re not the boss of your sister so you can’t talk to her that way” but I don’t want them to think I’m too bossy either so I watch how I say things in the future. I want my children to feel like I talk to them respectfully and that is how I expect them to talk to others as well.
