Being an Example

I had another post almost ready to post, when I got a phone call from my hubby this morning telling me about an experience he had with our 8-year-old son last night.
They were on their way home from scouts last night and they had the radio on a country station and the song "Boys 'Round Here" by Blake Shelton was playing. P says to Dad, "Dad, why do you listen to this, when it talks about stuff that you don't do?" (If you are unfamiliar with the song, it talks about drinking beer and spitting tobacco, etc.) Hubby asked him what he was talking about to see what things he had heard in the song. P told him about the drinking beer and spitting. Much to my surprise he actually DOES listen. :) Daddy told him that he really just likes the music and the beat. Which, in all honesty, is true, but also an excuse.
How often do I make excuses about the music I listen to, or the movies or TV I watch, saying to myself that "it's not like I'm going to DO any of those things." Aren't we taught that we should avoid these types of entertainment? In the For the Strength of Youth book it says "Choose wisely when using media because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Select only media that uplifts you." Also, from the 13th Article of Faith  "if there's anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Somehow I doubt that a song about going to the bar and drinking beer, and chewing up tobacco and spitting falls into that category. But, how many other things that aren't virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy do I do??

Too many.

I'm so grateful for the example of my son. He reminds me of the great responsibility I have to teach my children and for me to be examples to them. Although I'm grateful that he was an example to my husband and to me, it should be the other way around!
I have just started an Institute of Religion class on the Book of Mormon and have already started to see a change in myself and my family because I am studying the Book of Mormon, and I am striving more fully to keep the commandments. In fact, the past week or so, I was already thinking about how my choice of media might not be what it should be. On the weekend, hubby asked me to change the song that we were listening to, and another time I asked him to turn the TV off. It's a start. And that's all Heavenly Father expects me to do. Start. And keep trying. And repent when I slip up. So, thanks to little P, I'm striving even harder to do that.

Because I should be their example!