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I'm sure most people have seen or heard about the New Jersey mom who was accused of taking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth. When I heard this, like many, I was flabbergasted. The mother is unnaturally bronze from going tanning multiple times a week, and the daughter is fair skinned. The 5-year-old told people at school that she was burned and itchy because she went tanning with her mom.
Even if the mother didn't take her daughter tanning, it is clear that the daughter wanted to tell people she was tanning with her mom. Daughters want to do things their moms do. If her mom is bronze colored, the young girl will probably grow up thinking that bronze skin must mean you are pretty.
I know this is a slippery slope. It's really a hit or miss when it comes to which habits of their parents children choose to mimic. But I do think parents habits rub off on children. Yes some children choose to do the opposite of whatever their parents do, but I think parents have to be careful as to what they are portraying to their children. I know people who hate the idea of smoking because their parents smoked. However, I know more people who smoke because their parents smoked.
Think about it. What do many little girls do? They mimic their moms. They take care of baby dolls, play house, pretend to cook, and they pick up words and phrases their moms say. The same goes with dad. So if that mom is carting their child to the tanning booth or a bar three times a week, the child is more than likely going to pick up on that as well.
This New Jersey mom clearly stated on the news that she would never allow her child in a tanning booth, yet she was clearly promoting this habit to her daughter by taking her with. Now don't think I am knocking tanning; I am just using this news story as an example of how easy it is for children to pick up habits from their parents, good or bad.
I am very grateful that I had such wonderful parents. I grew up seeing my parents' have an amazing work ethic, which I believe is why I am so driven to get what I want out of my life. There were never any bad habits for me to pick up.
Yes, habits are hard to break, and I get that not all parents can be perfect examples, and I wouldn't expect them to be. I just think that if a parent has a habit that they wouldn't want their child picking up on, then they should be conscious of it and avoid making the child think it is a good thing. A young child only knows what good and bad is by what their parents tell them; so set as good of an example as you can. I am not a parent, but I have seen and known enough children to know that children often become a reflection of their parents.