Johnny won t learn how to treat his sister well if he hears or sees mom treating her own sister badly during a visit. A parent can say be kind to all other human beings a dozen times a day, but if it is followed by the same parent going outside to yell at a neighbor over the fence, it won t mean anything. For families with a religious foundation, sending the children to church while parents sleep in isn t going to accomplish a whole lot. By the same token, going with them and then turning into a shrieking parent during the week won t teach the right lessons, either. The old addage of do what I say and not what I do simply isn t going to work.
Children have a much higher intelligence than to fall for something like that.
They ll know it s not really a vital thing if mom and dad aren t practicing the same. A good way to be able to discuss these things with children is to set aside a certain night for family time. Play games, watch a movie, bake cookies, but do it together. That is the secret. Complaining about not having family time isn t going to work.