Yours and Only Yours

I've always found it a bit amusing that with each baby that is born one of the first remarks from people is who the child's physical features resemble the most. We analyze some small details like the length of the fingers and toes, point or bulge in the nose, etc and connect it to the mom or the dad. As the children become older those common features become more acute along with the personality traits and lots of other things. Recently I've become very aware of the personality and other habits our children have acquired being parented by myself and Kyle. The most troubling is that it seems children pick up on some of your worst habits/ flaws and use them when interacting with you. All those things you do that have annoyed others throughout the years but you haven't bothered to change will come back to haunt you...BEWARE. However in the situation with Prema struggling to attach to us as her parents we have sometimes silently celebrated some of our flaws and habits that she has acquired for it is a sign of attachment. So now for your enjoyment I'll list some of the things our kids have picked up on.

Eli- throwing temper tantrums with gusto. Kyle and I are were not the most calm people when we are angry as children and still struggle as adults.

Isaac- talking to Kyle in the same tone I do when I'm not being the most respectful, biting his fingernails, picking his nose, touching his nose with his tongue (I can do this and we learned Isaac could do this too when he had a cold. He would refuse to use a kleenex and instead would lick his boogers out of his nose). smelling things over and over again...the kid has the nose of a hound and he's really funny dramatically sniffing in the air whenever he smells something and then tries to name the smell.

Prema- ordering other kids around (due to her lack of any language especially for the first year we tended to only give her directions most of the time so that the language was clear and she would become obedient and respectful and she ignores any conversations we have with all adults-deaf included- so she doesn't pay attention to healthy conversations) picking her nose and eating her boogers, standing and sitting with her arms crossed, signing with the same facial expressions I use, snapping her fingers to get people's attention (her teachers were wondering where she acquired this habit and just as they were about to ask me I snapped at Prema to get her attention--a bit embarrassing)

So now that some of their bad habits which are mine also are starting to bother me, I'm trying to change but it sure is hard work. Pray for me. We can't all be perfect.