What do you value?

When I took Jazlyn to dance the other day I noticed this little boy in her dance class (yes she has a boy in her dance class) while we were waiting for her class to start. We will call him Sam. Sam was reading while we were waiting. They were small words, but he was still reading. Everyone in her dance class is about four or five. Sam looks four.

Some would look at Sam and think poor kid. Sam isn't always dressed in the nicest clothes and his hair isn't always the neatest. Sam's family looks like they're not the richest. One thing I have noticed about Sam though is that he is very well behaved. When his mom asks him to do something, he does it. He doesn't run around the waiting room with his mom having to get onto him every two seconds. Someone has spent time with Sam teaching him how to behave. And come on, the kid can read. Someone has had to spend a lot of time with the boy for him to be able to read at four. I know some kids are just naturally hyper (Jazlyn), but we all know that you can tell the kids who have not had any boundaries put into their lives. These misbehaving kids are sometimes dressed in the best clothes with the freshest haircuts.

It's all about what we value when it comes to our kids. Some value the way their kids look. Some value the way their kids behave. Some parents consider their children's education to be most important. Some parents value their kids' spirituality. What we value as adults trickles down to what we value in our kids. Whether we value money, family, intellect, or spirituality, that value will be evident in our children.

I'm reevaluating what is important in my life and how those values are effecting my children. What do you value?