12/08/2025
Repost from
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🚨 Parents, Your Kids Are Watching… And Listening! 🚨
On Dr. Phil’s Morning on Merit with Dominique & Fanchon, we talked about parents shocked when their kids used vicious profanity on camera. The truth? Science says… we shouldn’t be surprised.
🧠 The Psychology Behind It
Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory shows children learn behaviors by observing, imitating, and modeling what they see. When parents model kindness, respect, or anger and aggression—kids absorb it like little sponges.
Research shows:
Children exposed to aggressive language or behavior are 2x more likely to imitate it (Bandura, 1961).
By age 6, 90% of a child’s vocabulary comes from parental speech patterns (Hart & Risley, 1995).
Studies reveal children who witness harsh verbal conflict at home have higher stress hormone levels and increased anxiety risks (Cummings & Davies, 2010).
The Bible saw this coming long before psychology did:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6
3 Tips to Model Healthy Behavior for Your Kids
1️⃣ Watch Your Words – Speak with respect, even when frustrated. Kids mimic your tone, not just your vocabulary.
2️⃣ Practice Emotional Regulation – Take a breath before reacting; model how to handle anger with calm, not chaos.
3️⃣ Show Healthy Conflict Resolution – Let kids see apologies, forgiveness, and peaceful problem-solving in action.
When you model love, self-control, and kindness, you raise kids who carry those traits into the world. 🌍
