So it shouldn't be a surprise to hear that they notice when we aren't following our own rules, regulations, advice, etc.
Wha? They, like, pay attention?
Officer George Yuille stopped by the station recently to talk to us about parenting. Yuille has been an officer with Philadelphia's Police Athletic League for the last five years. He has served as a mentor for hundreds of children in Philadelphia - some of whom do not have any sort of role model in the neighborhoods they will return to later.
I figured Officer Yuille would be a good person to offer advice on a subject that is so, well, subjective as parenting.
We spoke for awhile about how he has helped to raise a daughter of his own, about what he does as a PAL officer, and why it is so important for children to lead active lives outside their homes and schools (a need that PAL fills in several urban communities).
And then, I simply asked him, for the parents who read this blog, what advice would you give them?
Here is what Officer Yuille said:
"I would just say: practice what you preach. That is the biggest thing about being a father and a PAL director. Watch your language, watch how you handle kids, and watch how you pretty much go about your daily routine."
Officer Yuille knows that his every move is being watched by the dozens of children that join him at PAL centers throughout the week. Those children, quite clearly, look up to him. And they look to him for sources of inspiration on how to act, how to treat others and how to grow into adults.
"You're being watched at all times. And sometimes grown folks get caught up into 'do what I say, not what I do.'"
Ah, that whole "do as I say, not as I do" thing.
When you tell a child one thing, and then you do another, imagine what the child thinks. Does this mean what this person says is not true? Or maybe he or she is not a true person?
Either way, practicing this two-faced parenting edict can make a youngster very confused. Especially when it happens in their sight.
"I try to pride myself on being a role model, I mean that's the reason I came to PAL," Officer Yuille said. "I want to be a role model in the community and I'm not one of those guys who just talk the talk. I want to walk the walk."
I told Officer Yuille that this advice he gave me was pretty simple. So why isn't it always practiced?
"I can't worry about other people, what they're doing, but I know I gotta be accountable for my own actions.
"And I think I was put on this Earth to really help young folks get to the next level."
That's an admirable thought. Officer Yuille didn't talk about this, but clearly his job with PAL is to help parent children whose parents, for whatever reason, can't or won't do it themselves.
It's a tough job. And it's a good thing that Officer Yuille is doing it.
Oh, and by the way, thanks for paying attention!
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