The last two years have been surreal, disruptive, painful, heartbreaking. There has been loss and setbacks, sacrifices and frustrations.

And?

The question is: What has that taught your kids? What have you taught your kids with how you’ve responded to it?

Hopefully, it was an opportunity to teach them resilience, to teach them patience, to teach them how to be community minded. But just as easily—or perhaps unintentionally—you showed them callousness, ignorance, instability. Did you teach them how to handle stress with dignity and poise? Or did you break under the pressure? Did you show them how to make use of the hand life deals you? Or did you show them resentment and rage?

Every situation that life deals us is an opportunity as parents—and as people—to teach. Whether it’s a pandemic or an appendectomy, an economic downturn or an annoying travel delay, we are always teaching our kids. Because, as we’ve said, they are always watching.

Not what we say…but what we do.