Health & Fitness
I've Been Watching You
Roy Atkins' words carry a powerful message. "I've been watching you, dad ain't that cool? I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you."
It was a glorious morning, sunning, relaxing and listening to country western music with my “favorite” daughter. I love summer and will be sorry to see it go. Roy Atkins is singing a song, Watching You, and I can’t help but take note of the words:
“Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn't have the toy
Till his nuggets were gone
A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath
His fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap
Well then my four year old said a four letter word
That started with 's' and I was concerned
So I said son now now where did you learn to talk like that”
Chorus:
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“I’ve been watching you, dad, ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you."
On June 11, 2011, I published, “A Parent Owes His Child." The song instantly reminded me that a parent owes his child a good “example.” In Atkins' song, the boy, watching his dad carefully, learns the “S” word. What do we unknowingly teach our children?
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What lesson does the closet smoker teach? “Doc, I don’t smoke in the house or in front of my family” might serve as a lesson that some things we do are bad and they should be hidden from your loved ones.
What lesson does the diabetic father teach when he eats an ice cream sundaes smothered in hot fudge? Whatever the lesson, it’s not a good one.
What lesson does the speeding mother teach when she drives 15 miles over the speed limit in a car packed with teens? Perhaps rules only apply to certain people?
What lesson does the workaholic parent who is never home for family dinners and always answering the phone teach? I can answer that one! I taught the wrong lesson for years. The lesson I taught is that work comes first. We live to work when we should work to live! The concept of “Wellthy” is partially derived from the lessons I taught in my young and somewhat ignorant youth.
We all should heed the words of Watching You and take care that the example we set is the example we want our sons and daughters to learn. Maybe some of our choices would be different if we always lived life knowing we were not only being watched by our children, but being copied by them.
