Don’t do what I do,

do what I say. 

I don’t have any statistics to prove my theory, but I think it would be safe to say that parents have been saying this to their children for millennia. If not longer. And if not in so many words, then in their behavior.

“Turn off your TV!” as they turn on the soccer finals from the UK.

“Don’t waste time playing on your phone!” as they text a friend about the latest kerfuffle at work.

“You’re spending too much time on the Internet!” as they resume their computer game.

“Talk nicely to your brother!” as they return to a heated discussion with a neighbor.

Children learn by observing.

And if what parents say isn’t what they do, their children will see the disparity. And want to know why they should follow the rules when their parents aren’t. It’s pretty tough to come up with a good answer to such logic. “Because I’m your mother/father” won’t cut it. Unless parents want a mini-rebellion on their hands, they’d be better off doing what they’re telling their children to do.