Law of Commotion: Every Action Has a Reaction

Photo by Picsea on Unsplash

Have you ever stopped to consider the impact your actions have on your children?  We know that children learn through modeling and are like sponges soaking up our every move.  Of course there is no such thing as a perfect parent or perfect spouse, but some keep making the same mistakes over and over again.  Think about the ways you relate to your partner, family, and friends.  Our children at any age look to us for guidance on interpersonal relationships.  In fact, the ways in which we relate to our spouse will significantly influence the type of future spouse they select.  For example, if we are not very affectionate, nurturing, demonstrative in expressing our love with our partner then they will be more inclined to select a similar person or the complete opposite.  If we communicate with aggression and yell all the time in our home, our children will either select a yeller or a passive and meek person.  The point is that we have significant influence and impact on our children based on our interactions with others, especially our spouse.  If we never talk about emotions or deal with conflict in our home, our children are more inclined to avoid dealing directly with conflict in their relationships, since they never learn or see conflict resolution.  Do we trust and respect our partner and show it through words and actions?  If we expect our children to be respectful, trustworthy, and communicate constructively, than we need to model these behaviors in our relationships.  Positive lifestyle choices and healthy boundaries are two other areas for our children to follow our lead.  What choices are you making that might impact your children?  What are they learning from the way you interact in relationships?  Find out next week how to foster positive outcomes.