CHILDREN LEARN FROM WHAT THEY SEE, NOT WHAT YOU SAY.

I can imagine the look of surprise,amazement and a sense of humour when you see your little toddler carry our some actions that are obviously associated with adults. She picks your phone, takes it close to her ear and tries to mutter a few words...then she looks at you and smile. You begin to wonder "where did she get that from"? Who taught her how to do that...? As time goes on your child begins to pick up behavioural components and values from her immediate environment where her parents are her first-hand instructors...consciously  or unconsciously.

Haven't you noticed that you never taught your child how to use the mimic the way you take your calls or do some of the things he or she does? The reason is simple; children learn by observation. This style of learning is by association and modelling. In reality, you are modelling behaviours which your child will resonate with irrespective of where they fall on the scale of right or wrong, valuable or illicit.

Your child will literarily copy your behaviours because they are being displayed by a significant order.

The essence of this instruction is for parents and guardians to be aware of the covert influence their actions have on children around them. I believe a few of us have come accross people who grew up with dysfunctional ideologies because they were unintentionally schooled to have such ideologies that are detrimental to society. Some grew up with the notion that it's culturally fanciful to use wrong words, some saw it as ok to be violent, some were passive substance users because they saw their parents or guardians exhibit such flawed behaviours.

It becomes very important for us all to cultivate the right values so that by default, we communicate the right values and attitudes to the young minds around us. As the Bible expressly affirms that there will be longitudinal consistency when the right values are instilled at a very tender age.