In Our Shoes

Being a dad is a wonderful thing. I enjoy watching my daughters grow up, and I count it as a blessing. My two-year-old, Ainsley, is at a really fun age. She is discovering the world around her and learning to talk about it. When she wants to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse she yells “house.” When she wants to watch Leap she yells “icie” for Felicie the major character in the movie. I wish she would use her words when she wants food, however. For now, she just points at the refrigerator and yells until we get the point. One of her favorite activities is looking at everyone and saying who they are. “Mommy, Daddy, Bie” she says.

Over the last few weeks, something new has started. Ainsley has taken to wearing my shoes or Molly’s shoes around the house. It is precious watching her try to maneuver around the house with her tiny little feet in grown-up footwear. It does not always go as planned, however. Just the other day, she was walking around the den a pair of my shoes and fell down. In her little cry for help, she yelled, “Tuck.” That is two-year-old for “stuck.” I laughed, despite myself.

I take her wearing our shoes as an imitation. She already imitates us a lot. She wants to be like her parents, and that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Her mannerisms are straight from her mom. I usually end up saying that she is Molly’s “mini-me.” Occasionally now, I will see something of me in a glance or a subtle mannerism, but she is definitely like her mom. Some of her behavior is genetic, but she has learned a lot, just by watching as all children do. 

One of the most profound learning devices that children have is imitation. What they see, they do. What they hear, they say. For good and ill, our behavior has a deep and lasting impact on our children. So, be careful how you live. There are people who are observing, and your behavior will make a major difference in their lives.

PS. Thank you for your patience over the last few weeks. I have not been writing as much as I would like due to a large project I have been working on. I’ll have more details on that in the coming weeks. For now, I plan to write at least weekly. Thanks for reading.