BE THE KID THAT YOU WANT YOUR KID TO BE

Today was a record beautiful day with mid sixties and sunshine which brought be and some of my best girlfriends and Elise's best playmates to the zoo. Whenever I am out I like to observe people. I am a snoop and a people watcher. I make up lives and imagine where these people came from. There are always the young couples at the zoo that somehow thought that being around caged up creatures and screaming kids would be romantic. There are the old couples that take their time because they are done being in a hurry. We can't forget the mom's and kids though. We are what keeps that zoo running. We are the faithful, the tried and true. The ones that keep the animals entertained. Do you ever watch parents though? It's my favorite! They are nuts! Screaming and threatening their kids and causing a scene. It's like each family is there own day time drama. Not my friends and me of course. We are the ones that parents point to and say "why can't you be like that little girl and walk with her mom?" "See her? She is not whining!"

Now if these parents stopped and learned as much from us as we did from them then the world would be less of a zoo. When I see a mistake I try my hardest as a human to figure out WHAT went wrong and WHY? Do the same thing when you see thing going well. WHAT are they doing and WHY? Talking to your kids instead of screaming will teach them that talking is what is acceptable. Parents, I implore you to please set the example. Kids are sponges and they are soaking up every word, attitude and action that they see you performing. Be the kid you want your kid to be. Seriously, have fun, giggle, play, get messy, (and clean up). Sing and play games, talk to them respectfully and you will see a change in your whole families' life. I was a nanny for the most incredible family with two kids that were as close to angels as you could ever hope kids could be. They never yelled, they didn't hit, they listened. Oh yeah, and they were 2 years old and 5 years old. Kids are reflections of their environment. They learned this from their parents. Be a super mom, be a super dad. Don't just "raise the kids". Raise them to be leaders and examples.