We often complaint that our
children don’t listen to us…. But we should never forget that they are always
watching us!
The way we talk to people in
family, the way we greet friends, the way we speak to strangers, even the way
we behave with animals….they notice all, absorb that and adapt it!
Based on the experiences watching
my daughter to grow, I would here jot down a few things a child notices very
strongly and adapts in his own life very quickly---
After the age of one year…
The first year after the birth of
child is so engaging for the parents that they don’t even realize what the
child has learnt from family!
By the time the child is weaned
off, he had already absorbed a lot of characteristics of his parents! He has
observed the relationship of his mother and father and has by now understood
how important the trio is for each other…He has understood how to love and how
to demand for more love from family members…he has observed that his parents
don’t talk to everybody on the road or everybody in the market, so he has
adapted talking to selected people technique….he has observed which set of
people usually come to home and how his parents talk comfortably to them and
similar way he makes himself comfortable in that company. At the same time, he
has also observed that sometimes when un-invited strangers come to home, his
parents lack that warmth in their conversations and so he also tends to act
shyly or prefers not to approach them.
By this time these little kids
have also understood which member of the family has got the softest heart
towards them and in front of whom they can put up their demands J
Till the time they attain the age
of two…
They catch up your language…they
catch the style and the way you eat food…they understand how to do make up on
their pretty faces and nonetheless, how to choose items from a fashion store!
Mine one developed a habit of
first checking the price tag of a cloth and then attaching it on her shoulders to
check how it looks on her J
By this age, they start putting
hand on their mouths while sneezing or coughing…just like you do always…
One disadvantage of us being so
dependent on gadgets is that by this age our kids understand how to swipe their
tiny fingers over the smart phones, tabs and ipads…. My daughter initially was puzzled
why the swiping of her finger does not work on the monitor of my laptop!
If they have observed you praying
to God, don’t get surprised when next time you find them putting their cute
petitions in from of Him. Once I found my daughter requesting God to cure her
fever fast….She also talks to God often whenever she falls down while playing
and gets hurt!
If any of the parent has interest
in cars….these age kids can surprisingly tell you the names of different brands
of car moving on the road J
During their third year they
understand that just like them there are some other living beings also in this
nature who need constant supply of food and water and they have understood this
just because you had never failed to pour water in the plants and give bread to
the street dogs. If you have pets at home, they surely will understand that
animals have their own language of love and their love is unconditional!
By this age, they learn to hold
the pencils and colors in their tiny fingers and follow your style for doing
drawings and paintings….They pretend to drive the car like you…they want to
wash their clothes…they want to sweep the house….fixing up the bed…putting up
the pillow cases…and everything and anything that have observed you doing! Not
only this, they also want to have things similar to yours…My little daughter
even wanted her hair style to be like mine J
They want to surprise you by
cooking some yummy food in their very own kitchen set, because they think that
now they have understood the procedures and patterns of cooking!
They have noticed that last time
when your hand got burnt by a hot object, you had applied ice…so this time if
you will burn your hand, they will be standing with ice in their hands already!
They are growing bigger and more sensible now…
They become more caring for you
when they attain the age of four…
They will understand your facial
expressions and will definitely ask “Why are you so serious”? If they have
observed you buying only required items from the shops, next time they might say
“I don’t need this, I already have one like this”… They will even understand
that you are tired and might help you grab a taxi by shouting loud….TAXI…
Dare not to hit a wall while
moving fast around the house when you are doing your usual chores, you might
get scolded by your younger self asking why you were not being careful…and
after that if you will pretend to cry at all, they will give you the world’s
best hug to patch up everything!
One day when a few guests came at
my home I observed my daughter. She was sitting with shoes on and was busy with
her color book…talking minimally in between...but as soon as the guests left……she
used the toes of one foot to remove the shoe from the ankle of her other foot
and flew it in the air, the other shoe also flew similarly in other direction,
next I don’t know how the colors fell down from her table to the floor…and I
heard a sigh “Ahhh….” Since I laughed instantly, I guess I missed what she
could have said next! She has had observed her parents doing this earlier, I
recalled!
These are just the highlights
which I could jot down in this small write-up, but I am sure if I will make a
day to day note of her activities which she has absorbed from her parents, I will
become a rich librarian J
Not only these younger years,
sometimes I think as a grown-up also whatever decision we make in our lives is
somehow inspired by our parents. If we have seen our parents struggled and came
out successfully from some problem, then in future we surely be able to fight
the tough situations with courage.
As a parents hence this is our
responsibility to shower more love and respect to all the living beings, act
more carefully and sensibly for our surroundings, behave tactfully in all the
ups and downs of life, so that our children will automatically absorb such good
habits!
