Now, where am I going to file this post? Should I file it under, "Behind The Camera", after all I did take the picture with my next to perfect Nikon? Should I categorize it under, "Pure Inspiration", because the quote written truly is thought provoking? A very serious part of me wants to stuff it inside, "For Your Information", because we as parents ought to pay a little more attention to what our children see in us. Maybe I'll start a new category today since life revolves around all that is mental, "Psychology (Life Is 100% Mental)", yup that's where I'm filing it!
The photograph is of my nephew's cute baby girl. I had so much fun taking her picture. I just want to inform you that this little girl's greatest weapon is her eyes. She's going to be able to get just exactly what she wants every time she flutters those big brown beautiful peepers of hers!
I snapped this picture because I loved her expression as she was intent on not letting her mother out of her sight. And that's my whole point today, our children never let us out of their sight. Even when they are married and grown they still see us clearly and they still observe!
Our children are always watching us. I don't know about you, but that thought scares the hell right out of me, and it should. What bothers me about my children always watching me is not so much what I know they can see in me, after all I can see that too. What bothers me about my children watching me is what they can see in me that I can't see in myself! There's where I'm seriously worried! Now I want to add a note here for children who are reading this. Your parents also see your blind side. The road runs both ways!
All of us have parts of ourselves we are blind to. It is everything in us that is unconscious, repressed, undeveloped and denied. And yes, both good and bad. Why we are blind to these parts of ourselves intrigues me so deeply. Why do others see in me various attributes, characteristics and ways of being I cannot see in myself? We look upon ourselves and think upon ourselves in a certain way, but others can often see things in us we have no clue exist. How is this so?
Well, I'm here to tell you, your children are going to see these traits, characteristics, ways of being, what ever you want to call them, and they are going to come to know them well no matter how hard you try to hide them, and the scariest part of all is your children are going to take them on and wear them like a new dress, sometimes without even knowing. One day suddenly you'll see a behavior in your child that will make you shudder and shake, and just in that moment your mind will start mulling over one single idea, "Where in the world did he learn that from"? That's when you need to turn around, walk your self over to the biggest mirror you can find, and take a long hard look in it. Don't be like every other parent and live in denial. You are really a bona fide idiot if you haven't figured out by now he or she more than likely, learned it from YOU!
So like the saying reads, "Don't worry that your children never listen to you; Worry that they are always watching you!" And from here on out you might want to pay a little closer attention to your blind side. The parts of yourself you really don't want to claim.
My question for the day is, "How do I come to know the parts of me I am blind to?" Some one tell me that today!
I stumbled on a great article well worth reading. It's title, "The description of the shadow". Give it a read, you might find it as interesting as I did! One thing is for certain, if we want to be effective people, effective parents, we need to see ourselves clearly. We too need to see our whole self! One of the greatest things a child can witness in a parent, is not that the parent is perfect, but that the parent is indeed imperfect, and as they see us climb over "all" of our imperfect parts, they too can learn that imperfections are normal, can be worked on, talked about, and conquered in an open healthy accepting environment. One of the greatest things we as parents can role model for our children is how to own, accept, and conquer ourselves!
