by Kamille Pierog

Created on: February 17, 2009

To a certain extent the habits of a child are firmly copied from observing their parents. Parents teach their children about the world around them everyday. They teach their children to roll over, to crawl, to walk and to talk. Parents teach children how to count, how to sing the alphabet and eventually how to drive a car. It would be absurd to assume that the habits of a child are innate versus learned.

Every parent has laughed at the first time they hear their toddler utter a curse word. Perhaps they picked it up from a parent, or maybe it was from the television. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was learned. After a time we stop laughing and have to curtail this kind of behaviour. They learned it from somewhere and chose to repeat despite not truly knowing the meaning. Children, especially toddlers are a blank slate. The actions of the parent can become firmly ensconced on the mind of a toddler.

What further proof do we need then to watch a child with a parent. Children will emulate what they see in their world. You can find an incredible amount of children's toys in small versions of adult tools. Hoover makes a child size vacuum. Black and Decker makes child size tools, Fisher-Price has child size kitchens, and John Deere has child sized tractors. If the commercial markets realize that children will want to one day copy the activities of their parents, what's to stop the child from picking up on habits.

A great example of a habit is brushing our teeth. We teach children to brush their teeth before bedtime. This is a habit that carries through for the rest of our adult lives. A child who is not taught this normal grooming habit will not intrinsically pick up a toothbrush and think that it's a great idea to brush their teeth before bedtime.

Not only do children copy our every move, but they will also pick up on subtle cues. The blank slate that is their mind will listen and learn all that goes on around them. Toddlers are perhaps the most notorious for this, as stated previously, the uttering of a curse word. It is imperative to remember that despite the fact that a toddler may not be talking at the rate of a five year old, they are still digesting everything they hear, eventually to be formed into a habit or truth that they will carry with them into adulthood.

Habits come in many forms, not only subtle things, like nail biting or nose picking. They can include such things as eating habits, smoking, picking up after themselves, holding certain views about the people around them and the world in which they live. Habits are learned from the parents and caregivers. It is impossible not to make this connection. Children can become virtual carbon copies of their parents, with their own personal quirks throw in for good measure.

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