Many times in this blog I discuss teaching moments. These moments are critical for teaching lessons to our kids.

As I wrote that last line, I heard those famous words, “Hurt didn’t it, betcha you won’t do that again.” As funny as that it is, the point about teaching our children lessons is so true. We are teaching lessons to our children on a continuous basis.

When I talk about teaching moments, it’s not like my husband and I sit around after the kids go to bed and diabolically plot out when we will have teaching moments and when we will not. Who will take the lead, and who will come in with the witty lesson one-liner. Whether we want to admit it, our children learn from our actions. They are always lurking with their radars on. They are always learning from our actions and words.

When you are completely exhausted at the end of the day and can hardly muster a complete thought – yep they are learning. So is this a panic moment. Yes absolutely – Mommy panic moment. Could this thought be exhausting? It could be. Thinking that you, as a parent has to be on top of their game every minute of every day? Completely exhausting! Unless…..

Unless we walk the walk. What does that mean? IF we as parents are driven by our core values and core beliefs, and our actions and words truly follow our values/beliefs, then we are naturally on top of our game. It is second nature. We do it automatically.

It takes a lot of courage to look internally as a parent and ask the question “do I walk the walk? or am I just a bunch of talk?” “Do I know what my core beliefs and values are? Can I define them?” Once we as parents can answer that question, it takes even more courage to ask “Do my actions reflect my beliefs and values? Or do my actions reflect something different?” It takes a lot of courage and personal fortitude to admit that your actions don’t necessarily reflect what you want your beliefs to be. That may be our actions and words are reflecting different values and beliefs. It takes a lot of courage to acknowledge where we truly stand. It is uncomfortable and can leave us feeling quite disappointed in ourselves. But it is necessary. Did I mention uncomfortable? No worries! There is hope! We can get better, we can always get better.

This is where journaling, meditating, or reflection can help. They help me to reflect daily on my beliefs and core values as a parent and check in with my self to see if my actions truly reflected what I believe. Let’s be honest, there is no way I will live up to my expectations of myself in every action, in every word, every day. This is not a discouraging statement. It is actually an awesome statement! It is truly an incredible statement! I have the opportunity to learn every day and get better every day. How cool is that? I can acknowledge what areas where I can get better and try again the next day. I can make plans and figure out how do handle things differently, more in line with my values/beliefs.

This acknowledgment also allows me to create teaching moments with my kids and say, “you know yesterday when I did this or that, well I could have handled that better” My kids see me as fallible, they see me learning, they help me get better. They see a process of improvement, a process for where my core values and beliefs take center stage for guiding my actions. They also see me reaching out to my team for help to get better.

They see me continuously working to be a better person, to live up to my values and beliefs. Why is this important? It sets a standard for my kids to learn from. It sets a baseline and an example for them to follow. Underpinning the need for continuous improvement as a person. I have now set up a cycle to always be on my game without trying. I have now set up a process to allow every moment to be a teaching moment that is in line with the core values and beliefs that we have established as a family.

More teaching moments to come – we will try again tomorrow.