The secret of sound bite parenting

Do you remember the last thing you said to your child this morning? What did your son or daughter hear as they walked out the door, got on the bus or stepped away from the car in front of their school and disappeared for the day?

Kason, my second-grader, climbed out of the back seat and heard me yell, “Make good choices, bud.” That’s one of my favorite sound bites.

Jadi, my seventh-grader, walked away from the car and had the tremendous privilege of hearing me belt out a silly rap song I’d just written to help a new teacher remember her name. I’m fortunate that she’s not yet embarrassed by me, but if I keep rapping in front of her middle school, that could change pretty quickly.

Oakli, my easy-to-mortify high-school sophomore, smiled nervously as I poked my head out the window and said simply, “Love you, dear.” She scampered away before I could do any real damage.

Those exchanges remind me of my own parents’ favorite sound bite sayings. Both my mother and father liked to say, “Remember who you are and what you stand for.” I’ve used that one with my own kids, too. In fact, I’ve said it often enough that if I say the first part, they’ll say the second.

We also like the popular phrase, “Return with honor.” My wife even wrote the motto of the United States Air Force 31st Fighter Wing unit, stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy, on the wall high above our front door. The words are a reminder to each member of the Wright Family Squadron that we should always return to our own home base each day with the honor we started with.

Parenting is full of sound bites meant to imply much more than the simple words suggest. How about, “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” That’s a classic.

If you have a 3-year-old, you’ve almost certainly said, “Do you need a time out?” Actually, if you have a husband, you’ve probably used that one, too.

My father said more than once, “You’re driving your mother to an early grave.” My dad was right about a lot of things. Thankfully, he was wrong about that one. My sweet mother is alive and well, and still telling me to “Stand up straight” and to “Stop mumbling.”

Did your mother ever begin a sentence with, “When I was your age”? Mine did. She also liked, “Take that chip off your shoulder.”