By Word and Deed 1 - Following in the footsteps of Giants

Have you ever noticed how much those around us help mold us into who we are? This is especially true with younger kids. It is an awesome responsibility to be teaching those kids by word and deed. For now, the kids look up to me and I am the coolest person on earth. I am not going to lie, that is a pretty cool feeling. Anything I say or like is instantly better than it appeared to be a few minutes before. The music I like, the stories I tell, the jokes I laugh at. My old beat up Honda Civic that is over a decade old is the cool ride, simply because its mine (the superman sticker may help as well but I digress), despite mom's car being only a couple years old.

I may have influenced them a little on liking superheroes....

....and a few other things

Sergito was also asked what he wanted to be when he grows up. His answer a few year ago? A businessman. Just last month they asked him in school this again and he said "A P&G worker". 


Just recently Adriana posted this on her Facebook wall:

"(I) have long since accepted Sergio's status in our house as the epitome of coolness, but this morning when Sergito asked me to cut his hair "like this" (making a concave half circle across the top of his head) so that he could have a "bald cut" like daddy . . . I had to say "Really!!?!?! You're joking right?"
Nope, not joking, totally serious.
Enough is enough!! Daddy's coolness status must be curtailed!



Looks like even being bald is cool :). While that all made us laugh, Sergito's earnest search to emulate a role model to this extent was a sobering reminder of the importance of my role as Dad. 

since then I have taken a liking to hats :)

Several years ago (Sergito was probably ~3 and Emma was 2), we were driving (once again) across most of the US to visit our family in Utah, I started playing "I spy" with them. I saw a brown cow grazing on the fields a few hundred feet away. I told the kids that chocolate milk came from brown cows. Adriana and I chucked as the kids stared out the window in wonder.

Funny right?... not so much anymore

I just didn't realize how great their memory is and how much trust they have in what I teach them. Some time after that trip, Sergito shared that tidbit of knowledge at school with terrible results. When Adriana told me the story later I felt deeply embarrassed over this potentially serious mistake. The last thing I would like is for any of them to stop trusting what I teach them. Since then I have made sure that if I joke with them I let them know about it right away.

See, what we may forget is just how incredibly bright these little people really are. Their capability to process and retain so much information is awe inspiring. I am constantly reminded about this when the kids bring up stuff I said months or years ago. If something I say doesn't match what I am doing, they will notice it right away and ask about the discrepancy. It is so much easy to just tell them what is right, but if I am not also DOING what is right, that teaching will never be adopted into their lives.

 I look back on the teachers I look up to and  find that I followed the exact pattern as Sergito. 

Talk about the Gold Standard for... well just about anything! Gramps and Grandma

My Dad was (and still is) my greatest example. Much of what I do and say is patterned after what he does. He shared with me stories of superheroes like Superman, Batman, even Popeye. Now you know why I am such a comic geek and I can't get enough spinach. 

Blame my Dad :)

 Dad worked most of his life in the auto industry. Most of his work revolved around quality control and process improvements. When I helped do chores or home projects, he would always emphasize the need for continuous improvement and foreseeing the potential danger in bad choices. I am sure as Adriana reads this she will finally understand a little better my drive for efficiency. 

My hero, Happy Birthday and Happy Father's day

While these interesting quirks are funny and easily noticeable, they are mere footnotes. The true benefit I got from my amazing father is his unfailing consistency. Dad taught me almost all I know about the gospel, but more importantly he showed me with his example every single day that he believed in what he was teaching. He still does as he serves a mission in Merida, Mexico.

Happy Birthday Ma!! Best Mom ever

 My mom also molded me in a similar way. Look closely and you will see. For one, we have very similar temperaments. We can both be quite stubborn and a bit rough. I also HATE being late. That is definitely ingrained into me despite growing up in a country that doesn't give much importance to punctuality. While she sometimes over did it (we got to school an HOUR before it started), it is something I am glad I learned.Her loving but strict approach to parenting was just what I needed. I find myself being the disciplinarian in my family as well. 

She has always gone through superhuman efforts to ensure we have everything we need. That included a great education at a school we would not be able to attend without her help, nice clothes and delicious food. However, instilling a strong sense of what's wrong and right  was a much greater gift. To me, it seemed her iron will allows her to stare down any temptation into submission.

Still setting an example for me and my kids

This time of year helps me remember about family and the responsibility to teach as I have been taught. In a 3 week span we will celebrate the birth of my parents, 2 of my kids and Father's Day. So I will continue to struggle to live up to the great example I was given and be for my kid's what my parents were and are for me. But I need to run, since I am trying to catch up to spiritual giants.