This evening I had to cut off a hangnail for Jonah (he’s 4.5 years old). I’d noticed recently that he was mimicing my bad habit of picking at my cuticles. Kids are little mirrors– they pick up EVERYTHING, good and bad, and do it for you. Of course I try telling him, “No, Jonah, that’s a bad habit. I know I do it all the time and we shouldn’t do it. Here, instead you can play with your toy or cuddle this stuffed animal. Try to catch yourself and stop. I’ll try, too.” Of course this sparked a discussion of why and I ended up having to define cuticle. I think he got the gist.

Easier said than done, and we know the whole “do as I say but not as I do” stuff never works. I guess it is good as it reminds me of what I need to work on, too.

What about you? What bad habits of yours do you see your kids picking up and how do you try to address it?