Remember, the children are watching

AS the long holiday comes to an end, many city dwellers would have steadily been making their way home from their balik kampung exodus.

Roads would have been filled with cars and congestion is to be expected. This is the time when a driver’s patience will be tested to the limit.

Those travelling with the family would have felt doubly challenged. They must stay cool not only for the sake of safety but also because their young ones are watching.

Coincidentally, it was Father’s Day weekend recently, and as most drivers are fathers, this would have been the perfect time to show some great examples to our children.

This is the time of the year when I remind myself of an advice given by Charles F. Kettering who said, “Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice.”

I almost broke this rule when I was driving home too. As the highway was clear and the family sleeping, I cruised along happily. Little did I realise that I’d gone over the speed limit.

As we stopped for lunch, my wife jokingly asked if I’d been speeding as we had reached the place earlier than expected.

I admitted that I may have done so but assured them that it was just a little bit and that I had kept to the permitted speed range.

It was at that point that my son said something that went straight to my heart. He said, “Don’t drive fast Daddy. If you can do it, your children can do it too.”

I was so proud that this came from my teenage son. At the same time, I felt guilty too because I’d breached that golden rule.

Our children are keenly watching what we do, and not so much what we say. This is alarming because it’s much easier for fathers to dish out the do-as-I-say advice and instructions, while not many are readily walking the talk.

Call it leadership by example or role modelling. If fathers fail to do it, it will have a negative impact on their children.

All these can only mean one thing. No matter how much advice we give our children about behaving well or being patient, or to think good of others, they may be meaningless if we ourselves fail to deliver at the crucial moments. It also means that we must constantly check our moods and behaviour especially when the children are around.

I apologised to my children for my speeding and clarified that I was able to do so because of the years of driving experience under my belt.

However, let it be known that that experience is not a license to speed. Again, the best I can do is pray that they’ll listen to my advice. At the same time, I can’t afford to show any more bad examples.

For the rest of the journey home, I ensured that I stayed within the limits and obeyed all traffic rules. I knew my children were “watching” even though they were sleeping.