Alberto Ray Moreno E.M., C. retweetledi
I'm not at my best in heavy traffic.
Actually, I'm not at my best while waiting for anything.
But here's the one that stung.
We were at the Key Royale Club for Bingo. Someone called a premature number. Maddie was watching. And I muttered something under my breath that wasn't exactly Sunday morning material.
Maddie yelled out, "What the hell, lady?" because she had just heard her dad mutter it.
In that moment, Karla didn't yell at me. She didn't lecture.
She grabbed me by the ear, looked at me with those captivating brown eyes, and said five words: "Model the behavior you hope to instill in others."
That line hit me like a fastball at my ears.
All those years as a manager.
All those talks about character, discipline, how to handle adversity. How to represent yourself with respect. How to stay composed when things go wrong. And my daughter was watching me lose it over Bingo.
I wasn't modeling anything except frustration.
I was teaching her that the rules change when nobody important is watching. That your values are situational.
Here's what this taught me: Your kids won't always listen to what you say, but they're always watching what you do.
Model the behavior. Every time. Because someone who loves you is watching.
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