If you as parents cut corners, your children will too. If you lie, they will too. If you spend all your money on yourselves and tithe no portion of it for charities, colleges, churches, synagogues, and civic causes, your children won’t either. And if parents snicker at racial and gender jokes, another generation will pass on the poison adults still have not had the courage to snuff out.
Marian Wright Edelman (1939 – )
The age of your stepchildren when you enter their lives is one of the factors influencing the level of bonding you experience with them. If the child is a toddler you have a better chance for developing a deeper bond as compared to if they are teenager. Bonding is practically non-existent for adult stepchildren.
While the bonding may never reach the level you desire or hope for with your stepchild, your role an influencer and role model is no less. While you may think you’re the invisible man in your family your stepchildren are always watching you and the things you do. We are always teaching our children something by our words and our actions.
They learn from seeing, hearing, and overhearing. Children do not learn the values making up strong character simply by being told about them. They learn by seeing you and the other people in their lives act on them and uphold those values in their daily lives.
Our priorities, principles and examples of good behavior can teach our children to take the high road when the low one looks tempting. They will reject or accept our values, depending on how clearly and consistently we demonstrate our commitment.
By being our best selves in the course of our daily lives can show our children we always try to do our best to serve. If you enjoyed this post please share it with your friends using the social media buttons below. Thank you.
Marian Wright Edelman
Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. Under her leadership, CDF has become the nation’s strongest voice for children and families. The Children’s Defense Fund’s Leave No Child Behind mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and succesful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
