Education by example.

They say don’t raise children, educate yourself. Children will learn on their own by watching you.

I was once again convinced of this truth today

when I became an involuntary witness to one scene.

A woman and a little girl walked along the aisles of a toy store. Suddenly the woman turned awkwardly and touched some kind of plastic toy, which fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. It was a distant and invisible corner of the store. The woman and girl did not know that I could see them. Honestly, I expected them to push the pieces of the toy under the shelf or just leave the “crime scene.” It is no secret that in many of our families, parents teach their children to live like this: if you can avoid punishment for your offense, avoid it, if you can avoid paying for something, don’t pay, if you can get something at someone else’s expense, get it, etc. d.

But the woman collected the pieces of the toy and loudly called the store clerk. When he approached, the woman handed him the fragments and said: “Sorry, I accidentally broke it. Can you help me assemble the toy? If it doesn’t work out, I’ll pay for it and take it.” The seller turned the pieces over in his hands and quickly assembled the toy. It turned out that it did not break but simply shattered into pieces. “It’s okay,” he said, “These toys are easy to disassemble and assemble.” “Thank you,” the woman smiled, took the girl’s hand and walked on.

I watched the girl’s eyes throughout this entire scene. When the toy broke, there was fear in her eyes. When the woman called the seller, there was a surprise in her eyes. And when the situation was resolved, there was peace and pride in her eyes for her mother.

These are the actions of parents that shape the worldview and character of their children better than a thousand words. Now I know that this girl is being raised right and will most likely grow up to be a good person.