Practice Makes ___________

Practice makes __________. What answer first pops into your head to fill in this blank? If you're like the majority of people, you may have heard that "practice makes perfect." The idea of that statement is that if you practice something long enough, you will become really great at it...almost perfect.

I would offer another answer to fill in this blank. It's an answer I learned as a high school student from my baseball coach over and over again. He always said, "Practice makes PERMANENT." What he meant by that, is that the WAY you practice something, becomes a pattern. In that context...the way you practice swinging or fielding ground balls, becomes ingrained in us to the point of permanence.

I got to thinking about this the other day. How might this idea apply to "parenting." The other day I was thinking about Lauren and I welcoming our new son in November. What am I "practicing" right now, that has become permanent in the way I do or handle things? Are those good things or not? What are some things we do or allow at home as parents, but expect different behaviors from our kids when they are out in public?

How we "practice" is becoming "permanent." So, the thought-provoking question for today is "how are you practicing and do you want it to become permanent in yourself, your children, or your family"?