Written on 10 July 2019.
The best way to be a good parent is to lead by example. Noisy, obnoxious parents tend to have noisy, obnoxious kids. Lie a lot? The kid will too. Fight a lot? Kids fight a lot too.
Of course, different humans are different, and I've mostly had to deal with kids who can already talk, but I've noticed my baby girl picking up various interesting habits. For example, I have a rather loud voice and tend to start talking a lot, and fast, when I get into something. Baba will emulate this, and it's kind of hilarious: I'll be talking, and all of a sudden she'll pipe up with a funny imitation of me. And when either of us is grumpy, she's grumpy too.
Like a mirror. A way to learn things. Eating habits, behaviours, moods. If you like to eat chocolate before dinner or yell at the TV (sports, for example), don't be surprised if your kid does the same.
Kids are mirrors. If you don't like what you see, check the original.