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Do you have a parakeet in your home? Are you sure? Well, if you live in the same home with your underage child/children, then you may have one. I have been listening and observing my children (7 yr. old twins) very closely over the last few weeks, and I was surprised to see and hear my own words and actions manifest themselves in their little bodies and mouths. Sure, we all know that children are the best mimics of their immediate environment, but do we as adults take the time to really step back and watch them as they watch us? I did.
The other day my son began “choreographing” to a segment in one of the Kainos Dance songs. The choreography was actually pretty good. I looked at this child of mine who previously stumbled over two left feet while walking on a regular basis, and I smiled. Did he actually use the word choreographing? Yes. Is he now Mikhail Baryshnikov? No. But, he is learning that his body can be used as a tool of powerful personal expression and praise. As for my daughter, who has fewer words than her brother due to a diagnosis of moderate autism, she wakes up each Saturday morning and says “Kainos Dance” or “Go to Dogtown” (Dance Studio). She also loves to twirl around the house with one of the praise dance cloths we use for a beautiful song called, “Already Here” by Brian Courtney Wilson. I am not a perfect parent by any means, but it is wonderful to see that I may be influencing my children to go in a positive direction despite being in a presently very negative world environment.
