When myself or one of my brothers or sisters would do something silly, my mother used to say, “Monkey see, monkey do,” referring to us taking on behaviors we’d seen somewhere else. What once was cute however, became anything but adorable as we became older. As the eldest child, I seemed to be the first to mock behaviors I saw, not in people outside my house, but of those inside my house. My parents were the first to teach me to use foul language, and were also the first to whip me for using it. My parents taught me to smoke cigarettes, and that abusing alcohol and cigarettes and was something for “grown-ups” to do! Later, they taught me and my brothers and sisters that grown-ups cheat on their taxes, have illicit affairs, and even use illegal drugs as an “escape” from the world. When we were teens, our then single mother was so upset with our behavior that she abandoned us. At one time telling me that she could no longer “control us.” What my parents failed to realize was that they DID control us… everything we were up to, we learned from them! Blame the TV if you want, blame music if you want, blame the Congress, the neighborhood, or even the schools if you want. But… don’t forget that most of what people learn, they learn from their own families! Today, only God could take the credit for breaking the habits I learned as a young man. Through Him I’m now determined to raise my family with a different example–the example taught me by Jesus Christ.
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.”‘ 1 Corinthians 15:33