My cute little man went on a preschool field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. He was able to choose his very own pumpkin. I was expecting him to come home with a really big pumpkin or a cute tiny one. But the pumpkin he came home with kind of surprised me.
You see, we have artificial pumpkins that look a lot like real pumpkins at our house that he loves to play with and organize in rows. And wouldn’t you know…the pumpkin he showed up with was the same size and shape as the artificial pumpkins I already had in my home.
For some reason this really hit me. It could have been a coincidence if you don’t know my little man. But I do…and this wasn’t a coincidence. My little guy chose his “perfect pumpkin” based on the pumpkins we already had in our home. It really got me thinking.
At my work, a question our girls often get asked and it has turned into a little bit of a joke is, “How is this like your life?” I couldn’t help thinking how this pumpkin situation is like life and parenting. How many times do our children look to us for examples or answers without us realizing it? And while it is ONLY a pumpkin it was an example that was set and my little guy followed it. Instead of listening to what I am saying, because honestly repetition is key with my kiddos, I’ve realized that they do copy my mannerisms and the example that I set for them is substantially further reaching than anything else.
I need to set a pattern of my life for them when it comes to a healthy lifestyle, but also when it comes to spirituality, kindness and other important lessons. Who I am is far more important than what I tell them. Don’t get me wrong, I am a FIRM believer that what we tell them when they are younger becomes their inner voice when they are older. But who we are is also the example they tend to follow.
I love those little artificial pumpkins and my little guys pumpkin, I’m pondering what other “pumpkins” I need to have around my home in order to set an example for my little ones.
