Influence

Influence

What kind of influence do you have over your kids? Good, bad and indifferent?

In order to honestly answer this question we as parents need to take a really close look at ourselves and those around us. Influence is not just what you teach them to do, but it is also those intangible lessons they get when you think they aren’t looking, when you think they aren’t paying attention.

To expand on that thought a little further…..what influence does a child’s environment have on them as well? I’m not talking about the run of the mill stuff, school, TV, friends. What about their siblings?

My youngest son, Chase, is Autistic. His older brother, Jalen, is one of the smartest kids I know, but I could be biased (smile!). Everything that Jalen does….good, bad and indifferent; Chase will do the exact same thing.

When we found out that Chase had to wear glasses, the frames he selected look just like Jalen’s.

Jalen took a jacket to school today; because his class room is cold….so Chase went in the closet to get his winter coat!!

During the summer we were always on the go, the library, the tennis center, the swimming pool and the drive in. I had created my own little summer camp. On several of our outings Jalen would forget to bring his shoes. We are a very hippie kind of family and we don’t like shoes very much when it’s hot, and flip flops are the shoes we prefer in the summer. Well on those occasions Chase was paying close attention to what Jalen was doing…..so HE started forgetting his flip flops too!! See what I mean when I say being influenced by your environment!!