6 Things Your Kids Will Remember About You When They Grow Up

No matter how much of a good mother you are, children will be able to identify your good traits as well as your bad ones. You may think your children are not observing your behaviour, or that they are too young to remember certain things, think again, because there will be certain things that will stick in their memory as time goes, such as:

1. Your experiences with them

They might not remember every toy you got them, or how many times you bought them ice cream, but whatever the reason, experiences, rather than things tend to stick rather. Even if you do take them for ice cream, they will remember each other’s company more than the ice cream itself because there are certain things that tend to stick with kids as they grow up.

2. Your positive words to them

Saying, “I love you,” isn’t necessarily all that children need to hear. There are so many other things you can say to positively affect your child like, “I’m proud of you,” “You make this family better,” and “You’re a good friend” — all of those phrases start affecting their self-worth and identity from an early age.

3. How you handled their challenging situations

Kids look to you for guidance because they are going through new experiences, and sometimes feel vulnerable. When they get to face hard times  much later in their lives or as adults, they’ll remember the way you spoke to them, how you made them feel safe and protected, and how you reacted when you were faced with tough situations.

4. The times you weren’t there

Though this sounds super negative, it’s also a positive. Though they may remember the times you weren’t there when they needed you — it’s just a part of life because you can’t always be there — they’ll also remember the time they finally stayed overnight at a sleepover without calling to come home in the middle of the night, or the first time they did something huge at school that they couldn’t wait to run home and tell you about. Those will be things that they remember as independent adults.

5. The way you behave around your husband and other husbands

Kids  pick up certain behaviors that you engage in, and sometimes, they can interpret it as OK behavior for them to display to their peers. When you’re home with your kids and you and your partner are interacting in front of them, keep things positive, loving, and nurturing, because they are always watching and learning from you even when you think they are not paying attention.

6. How you acted under stress or pressure

When you are faced with pressure and stress, your children are picking up on how react when the time comes. For example, when there are school projects due, dinner isn’t made yet, and you feel like you’re going to go insane, your children will watch to see if you’re the type to crack under pressure. If you want to raise kids who can handle stress like pros, you have to be aware of the way you handle it yourself.