They indeed are observing us!!!!

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!