I noticed a lot of this when Nicholas was younger. He wanted to eat whatever I ate, wear what I wore, and even try to mimic me when I worked out. Well now that he's nine, and developed his own identity, I thought he was no longer studying me. But I was wrong... because he recently told me he can't wait to grow a mustache like mine.
On many occasions, he's asked me to draw a moustache over his lip, just to see what it looked like. And at a recent family party he actually wore a fake moustache that his grandmother bought for him. And he wore it the entire night. I couldn't stop giggling, but he was very serious about it, as you can tell from the photo. Perhaps it's certainly a sign that he's looking forward to getting older and growing "real" facial hair...but many experts say it's also a sign that he's still imitating dad.
Even at nine years old, your children may still watch you constantly, so it's important to keep an eye on your own personal behavior.
For instance, your reaction to the driver that cuts you off...or your mood when you get tired, or when your spouse upsets you. A youngster may be closely observing how you handle such moments. One child psychologist I read online made a good point, saying that teaching a child by example, will affect their behavior far more than telling them what to do. If you make your child use seat belts, or helmets or sunscreen for example, but you don't, they're more likely to let such precautions slide as they grow up.
So just remember, your child is always observing you, and that's a big part of how they learn and grow. By the way if you ever notice that I shaved off my moustache, it's probably because Nicholas' stache was getting too unruly!
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