I recently went on a camping trip with one of my friends, we'll call her A for privacy purposes. Well my friend A invited me on a family camping trip with her and, guess who, her family. Well A has a little sister named M. Well just as A was allowed to invite a friend, M invited a friend as well. When I first met M's friend, who was only 8 mind you, it was brought to my attention that she was the younger sister to a Head Honcho Popular Girl from my junior high. This fact probably would have stuck out without being told due to the fact that M's friend acted exactly like her older sister. Anyways, M's friend was not the most polite of little girls and on this trip I made it a point to try and change that. (Yeah yeah, probably none of my business but I was getting tired of the "give it to me or I'll hit you" comments) So obviously I did my thing the "how can I help" and "let me get that for you" bit which I must say goes over quite well with adults. Plus it gives you this great, I'm a good person, feeling. So whenever J (M's friend) would tell me to get or do something for her I'd make her say please and thankyou. Miraculously, by the third day of our little outing J was saying please and thankyou in a way as dignified as is possible with an eight year old. This really made me think about how nice it is when you have someone to show you the way. I mean, goodness knows I get lost quite a bit in my life and actions and I'm glad I have people to look up to and places I can turn to. It's good to have heroes and role models, but it's also important to be a role model. If you don't want your children, siblings or friends to act a certain way then don't act that way yourself. I thought about that a lot. Another lead by example moment I had, happened on sunday I believe. (btw sunday without church sucks) M had wanted to go with J to a little park near our camp site. J immediately asked if M would push her on the tire swing, and when M declined J refused the invitation to go to play. So I observed for a moment as M sulked away to play by herself and J returned to whatever she had been doing. Then I asked J why she didn't go play with M, to which J said that because M wouldn't push her on the tire swing she didn't want to go. I proceeded to explain to J about how friendship is about compromise and we need to think of others wants and feelings and not just our own, etc. I thought this life lesson tid bit would go in one ear and out the other, but throughout the next two days of the trip I noticed a bit of change in J's attitude. It just made me think some more about examples and how we need to be examples of good people if we expect others to be the same. If we really expect our neighbors, friends, citizens, and teachers to be anything at least decent, than we really should start with ourselves. I hear friends of mine complain about other friends' language and habits when in reality they have those same faults. So just think about it, be the kind of friend you would want to have.
:-P that's the end of my moral speech, but have no fear for I'm sure I'll be back with more.