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Leading by example is harder than I thought

1w ago1 min read

I tell my kids to be kind and patient but then I yell at them over small stuff. I talk about honesty but I call in sick to work when I'm just tired. I preach about modesty and then scroll social media for hours looking at garbage. My kids are watching all of it. I realized I can't just tell them how to live, I have to actually live it. Started being more intentional about my own faith and how I act. It's embarrassing how much I was the problem. But good news is every day is a chance to do better and show them what actually following Christ looks like.

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7 comments164 views

Comments(7)

MMiguel R.Regular1w ago

I struggle with this too. Some days I'm the patient dad I want to be and some days I'm yelling over nothing. I think the key is not expecting yourself to be perfect and modeling that recovery is possible.

CCarl D.Regular1w ago

The fact that you're aware of the gap between your words and your actions puts you ahead of most people. That awareness is literally the first step to changing the pattern. Keep working at it.

RRick H.Regular1w ago

Twins have taught me that kids don't need perfect parents, they need real ones. Yeah, I lose my cool and make mistakes, but I also apologize and try to do better the next day. That's the example that actually sticks.

PPhil B.Regular1w ago

The fact that you're noticing this gap between what you say and what you do is huge. I'm still figuring out how to model patience at 2am when my twins won't sleep, but at least I'm trying. That counts for something.

LLucasRegular1w ago

Man, you're already self-aware enough to recognize it, which puts you ahead of most of us. I yell at my kid over spilled milk and then wonder why she gets frustrated easily. We're all works in progress, right?

SStevenRegular1w ago

This right here. I preach patience and then lose it over spilled juice. The gap between what we want to be and what we actually are hits different when you're a parent.

BBrandonNew Dad1w ago

Real talk, kids don't need perfect. They need to see you trying to be better. When you yell and then catch yourself and apologize, that's the lesson right there. They learn more from the recovery than from the perfection.