As you all probably know by now, each week it is my pleasure to feature a blogger on this site. And this week I am so happy to have Denise from Nurturing Creativity stop by and talk about how to treat family.
Uh…oh, I know. I know. Family can be a sore topic but this is definitely good stuff. Read on to see what information Denise is sharing today. And no worries, I’ll tell you her scoop at the end.
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I’m a parent.
I say a lot of dumb things to my kids.
At the time, I don’t realize how I sound until I hear it repeated back to me…
Hurry up.
You’re so slow.
Leave me alone.
Get out of my way.
Do I have to do everything for you?!
When you become a parent, there’s no question – you KNOW you’re in charge.
And it’s easy to take advantage of the authority that’s been handed to you, without even realizing that you’re doing so.
So, we give out orders, put our kids “in their place”, and desperately attempt to mold our kids into polite, responsible, little people.
It all seems innocent enough until my kids “return the favor” and try to put me in MY place.
Then, of course, it’s unacceptable. It’s disrespectful. How dare they talk to me like that!
Yeah, the dumb things I say backfire, big time.
I politely asked my son to hand me something and his response was…
“Do I have to do everything for you?!”
My initial response was shock. I can’t believe he’s SO rude!
But, if I put my pride aside, and stop to think, I realize… it’s my own fault.
It’s my fault for not treating my kids like they’re NOT family.
Wait. Huh?
Yeah. That’s not a typo.
I said, treat my kids like they’re NOT family. Think about it…
How do you talk to guests that come to your home?
How do you talk to strangers that you run into at the store?
If you work in retail, how do you talk to customers?
How do you talk to your boss?
Now compare that to how you talk to your family?
The people you love more than any human being on earth?
OK. I realize, with family there’s history. We’re comfortable with them.
We can joke and pick on each other and it’s cool.
But, our family still deserves our respect and courtesy.
Even the little ones. They deserve it too.
And truth is, we don’t have to “mold” our kids.
Our job is to BE polite and responsible adults,
and hope that our kids watch and take notes.
“Before we can teach our children true values,
we have to truly value our children.”
-The Book of Nurturing
Denise is the awesome creator of Nurturing Creativity. She is a one of my favorite bloggers, not because she is just a fun person but she truly inspires me to be better and really work towards finding my passion.
Denise also is a confectionery artist, paints children’s art and a mother of two, and somewhere in between the chaos… she finds time to write.
Please be sure to stop by Nurturing Creativity where you will find Denise challenging you to find your inner creativity. And if you are a twitter lover, you can find her @Denisedesigns, or like her page on Facebook Nurturing Creativity here.
It’s refreshing to hear when people realize that children’s preferences are very important, it’s great to see an article like this.
Kawlinz recently posted..Ryze’s 3 Personal Questions For Jason Fonceca
thanks!
Denise recently posted..Guest Posting on “Life is Hard, Laugh Anyway”
Is it because we take them for granted? Wise words to remember “treating family like strangers”…..
lisa recently posted..Will You Be Watching From Your Smart Phone?
Possibly, yes.. and I think when we are taught things like – “blood is thicker than water” … “families are forever” … etc… that sends the message that our relationships with our families are a natural born right.
Truth is – Family or not – we all have to work at building positive relationships with each other.
I *almost* wish I was raised by you.
Kiddin’ my parents got this on a level deeper than most, I had a ridiculously supportive childhood.
That being said, what you’ve written here is Epic, and if you were to write a parenting book, I could see you getting on talk shows.
Rock on, Denise!
Jason Fonceca recently posted..Ryze’s 3 Personal Questions For Jason Fonceca
Wow, thanks for the compliment, Jason! That’s awesome you had so much support – guess that’s where your confidence comes from!
Love that you stopped by today
Good post here, truly open my eye’s. God Bless
PoeticJourney recently posted..Word to the Wise (Spiritual Word Of The Day)
Glad it spoke to you
Wow, to think that we could possibly be treating the people we love worse than strangers is such a sad thing. Thought provoking!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell recently posted..I’m a Dirty, Dirty Sinner
I hear ya. I think we just get too comfortable and assume it’s ok.
Denise recently posted..Guest Posting on “Life is Hard, Laugh Anyway”
This is great advice. It’s like the (old) scenario – you leave the plastic covering on the furniture all the time, but when guests come, you take it off.
It’s also a good reminder that we should remember, we set by example.
Carolyn recently posted..Make Google Reader Work For You
Amen. Kids watch more than they listen.
Thanks so much for sharing my work with your readers, Latorsha!
Awesome post. I don’t have children but I do have a pit bull who thinks he is a CHILD and a hubs who is a child!
A post to make you really think. 
Brenda recently posted..To pose or not to pose
Pets are family! =)
Great post and happy to be “introduced” to Denise.
I don’t have children but a family I do. I can get quite testy with my mom and sister sometimes especially when I am stressed and feel as if they don’t understand. Deep down, I know I should be mindful of my words.
Dr. Reginia recently posted..A Conversation with R & B Hit-maker – Daron Jones (formally of 112)
Glad to connect with you here as well
Hi Denise! Such great words to remember! Thanks for sharing!
brandi recently posted..Valentine’s Day Pillow
Appreciate that
I really like this post. It’s very true. I agree, we as adults are always putting our kids in “their place” but forget that they are family as well.
I always try to be polite to my daughter, ask her kindly, put her aside and really talk to her. It’s so simple to do, but also very easy to forget.
This post definitely have food for thought.
KalleyC recently posted..The Love Bug–I Got Bit
It really is easy to forget – Lord knows I forget! But, being a parent isn’t easy – we learn what’s best as we go along. Glad the post resonated with you
Denise recently posted..Break Your Routine
i thought about this very thing this past weekend as my daughter was being extra testy. sometimes i have to close my eyes and remember that she’s only a child before i speak. i completely agree; what we say and how we behave gets 100% absorbed by our children and i can tell that sometimes my tone isn’t too nice because when dd gets upset, she gives me the same tone and it hurts! so i’m working on this …. thanks for a great post.
kathy recently posted..when you get to help out your personal hero
You’re not alone. I don’t like my own tone sometimes! I have my moments, then I forgive yourself, and move forward in a positive direction.
This is a great sentiment! Thanks for giving another perspective!
Appreciate that; thanks!
Definitely food for thoughts. I should try this on my husband, he sure has seen and heard it all (from me of course, poor thing).
Blessing @ Working Mom Journal recently posted..CAbi Scoop Spring Fashion Week
Go for it! – Husbands matter too! =)
I never thought about treating my kids as family. This is giving me something to think about. We must lead by example in all that we do.
kita recently posted..Mommy Monday: A mothers love
Agreed, Kita