You advise them to follow your dreams, while you trudge off to the darn office day after day.
You ask them to be healthy as you stuff Taco Bell into your mouth and order what is not really a coffee drink but dessert in a cup from Starbucks twice a day.
You tell them that education counts or reading is of utmost value while the most you read is a recipe or a receipt and you could care less about their homework.
You say family is so important to you but spend every waking moment watching television, glued to a computer screen, at the bar with your buddies or in your office.
You ask them to behave in a restaurant and be kind to the waitresses and treat others well while you talk on the phone at the counter and think snapping your fingers is an acceptable way to ask for attention.
You ask them to follow the rules and then you ride in the side lane in traffic so you can just pass by that little patch of traffic.
You preach to your teenager to not text and drive but you never miss an opportunity to get on the phone and gab while at the wheel. Do the numbers automatically dial themselves?
You ask your kids to be kind to their brothers and sisters but you can’t stand Aunt Polly or Uncle Gus and you are not afraid to say it with a couple holiday drinks inside you.
Your advice isn’t holding a lot of weight, but your actions are and your actions are fat, I tell you, fat; they get mucho weight.
I should know, my Dad told me never to start smoking but instead I grew greedy every time I saw him open a pack and breathe easy as he lit up; by fifteen I had a bad habit of my own.
You say you want them to grow up to be just like you and that’s great – just make sure you know whom YOU and YOUR actions really are because it might not be something you’re so keen on passing on after all.
About Rebecca Suder
