One of the things Colleen and I work hardest on in parenting is to teach our children to take responsibility for their actions. When they make a mistake, we want them first to look at their own actions, how they handle situations, then to ask themselves, "How could I have handled that better? What other choices could I have mede? What would have happened if I would have done this, instead of that?"
Of course, we know that the best thing we can do is practice what we preach. We know that the behaviors we model in our own daily lives are most impactful in teaching children how to function responsibly. We need to be asking ourselves all of those same questions that we are teaching our children to ask.
Have you noticed how even most adults in today's world prefer to see themselves as victims? If they screw up, it isn't anything they did; it is always someone else's fault. Does it make sense for us to expect our children to be more mature than we are?
I was pleased to hear that Barack Obama telephoned Nancy Reagan after his press conference the other day, to apologize to her for his seance remarks. That showed class and leadership on his part. That is the kind of leadership we need; a willingness to look at whether his actions and words are appropriate.
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