Teach a child...

Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all of his life. Proverbs 22:6

I have had a magnet with this Proverb on it since my confirmation when I was 13. Twenty something years later, the gravity of this saying has hit me because for the first time this child is my child, and what I teach her will remain with her for her entire life.

I often feel that I am failing miserably at parenting. Even though Lexi is only a few months old, I can tell she imitates me. As she gets older, I will really have to watch myself with certain things, not only around her, but in general. The first lesson that I feel it is important to teach her is about food. I do not eat healthy. When I think snack, I think cool ranch doritos, brownies and pop. When Lexi is a bit older and she wants a snack, how can I justify giving her carrots or apples and me eating a candy bar when she's not looking? I need to teach her to eat in a healthy and balanced way. The only way to truly do this is to eat better and share my healthy eating habits with her.

I am glad that Jon and I are both Christians, because we can impart our beliefs to Lexi every day, but we don't go to church. Right now we are looking for a church that we both like, and one that has many children. We aren't looking very hard though. How can we 'teach a child' when we don't always do those things we want to teach her?