She Wants To Be Just Like Me

Tuesday, my four-going-on-fourteen-year-old daughter, is like most little girls—she wants to be just like me. She wants to get pedicures and spray tans like I do, she puts on her “workout clothes” and wants to run on the treadmill like I do...

...and she wants to dress like me.

Just this weekend, it hit me, though: she actually wants to BE LIKE ME. She is modeling everything I do. How I talk to people on the phone, my driving habits, my attitude toward church, what I spend my money on, my reactions to stressful situations, how I use my time…everything.

As parents, Rex and I do a lot of things right. We brush and floss the kids’ teeth every night, we enforce regular bedtimes, we pray before going to sleep at night, we go on regular family outings, we’re involved at church and we talk about Jesus and what He did on the cross for us nearly every night.

But when I thought about ME, day in and day out, and how I live in front of my kids, I started wondering….do I really want Tuesday to be like me? Am I being the kind of mother to her that I want her to be someday? What kind of role model am I? Am I striving to live my best life for God?

I’m certainly not perfect. There are so many weeds in my life that need a gallon of Round Up. It comes down to attitude and I’ve been struggling with mine as I have been running around like a crazy woman on Black Friday. I’ve been short with those around me, and haven’t taken time out to be still and enjoy Logan and Tuesday like I should. Stress doesn’t always bring out the best in me and my kids see that.

I snagged this line from the movie “Facing the Giants:” “Your attitude is like the aroma of your heart.” And sometimes mine stinks.

That line often resonates in my soul and I become convicted that my inward emotions drive my outward actions. I need to work on both. How am I feeling and how am I reacting to my feelings? How are life situations influencing my attitude? My kids need to know that I am a work in progress, just like they are. I’m going to be praying that God will teach me how to be the best me—and the best mom—that I can be.

Can I encourage you to take stock of what you are teaching your kids through your attitude? I’m sure there are lots of great things you’re teaching them, but next time your inner frustration seeps out and unleashes onto the person on the other end of the phone, remember who may be listening and what they’re learning about how to treat others.

As Tuesday grows up, I want to be proud of who she is becoming and to know that I had a positive influence on her.

What is your attitude teaching your kids, good or bad?