Learning From My Daughter

Lately, Yaeli has been asking for things she wants by saying "I need that". We've been trying to impress upon her that she doesn't need it, she wants it. But she got me thinking, as she so often does.

There is a concept that when you see faults in others you are really seeing the fault in yourself. Having a toddler has driven this message home better than any teacher I have ever had.

Now that Yaeli has been saying this phrase for a while I was trying to think why she might be talking like that. She must have learned it from someone. So I came to the conclusion that Rivkah and I must be saying it without even realizing it. Lo and behold, I can think of several examples off the top of my head where we tell Yaeli that we need a particular item if we want her to give it to us. "I need that diaper", "I need that pair of pants", "I need your plate in order to give you more food".

This is just another reminder of how careful we need to be when interacting with our daughters, and everyone else for that matter. We are her teachers. She looks to us for guidance on almost every aspect of her life. Language, motor skills, independence. You name it, she's learning it from our example. So I need to strive to provide the best example possible.

Have a great day!