Your Children Will Follow Your Example Not Your Advice

[Jennylim]

A friend shared that statement on facebook, remind me of my children, they prefer to follow what I do more than what I advised. So, when I want them to improve in their studies, I spent time with them going through the topics they need help. My advice on how to read and what to read was rarely follow through.

Things that I never taught them, somehow they pick up, sometimes I have to remind my son, "you can not treat your friends like how I treat you because I have only 3 children but you have many friends! "

A lot of parents are doing their job by giving advice, when the outcome is not what they want, there's a tendency to think there is something not right about their children!

[currymee]

100% Totally agree with your observations !

The most ironic scenario that I see everyday is some parents keep telling their children TO BE HONEST, LAW ABIDING AND HAVE INTEGRITY. Yet these are the same parents who are offering bribes, breaking the laws left, right and centre. They even boast about it.

So, please just accept the fact that your kids will grow up to be dishonest and giving/taking bribes because you are doing them too .... hahahaha ... and like you, they will JUSTIFY BY SAYING, "That is how business is done in Malaysia!" ...

[Geofoliage]

If you think there are certain values that are important – in both integrity and survival, show them to the kids.

Life is a complex equations. Some situations are not as straight forward as the book said.

[bslee]

Influence from various sources always affect the growing mind...different culture, different type of parents to friends to all sorts of people they meet along their way, lastly how the political circumstances that shape this country also shape your thinking along the way too. You're never really the same person every decade.
Anyway, sometime in the 80's I happened to be at a home of one of my staff..parents and only son....casually conversing with lots of Canto F language in between..and that's normal with them as both of them work with me in the same dept too....my jaw dropped to the floor and eyebrow raised higher than The Rock.. that it happened at home too.

[Jennylim]

So true!

[panadol]

Rubbish.i knew parents who are still in jail that have well brought up young people with responsible job.And yes while they were growing up they listening to the advise by their parents in family and inmates meet..