The thief of time?

Ok- confession here....I'm a procrastinator. I love the rush of getting something done at the last minute. I love the feeling of thinking I have all the time in the world to complete something. I don't like being late- or feeling stressed.

Brandon is a finisher and it's usually way ahead of time! If he has a project, he completes it with time to share. He usually gives himself plenty of time so he can even go back and look his "project" over to make sure it's just how he wants it. I usually am just glad it's finished.

So, Merrick our soon to be 8-yr old is a perfectionist (like Brandon) but also seems to be a procrastinator (like me). He has been waiting until the absolute last minute to complete his work and reading at school. I find myself telling him how important it is to complete it on time. What a hypocrite, huh?

I was telling Brandon I do NOT want Merrick to follow in my footsteps. Well, any of our children. He said "Well, you are going to have to start modeling that behavior." OUCH! He is totally right. It's great to see your kids pick up on your good traits- but not the bad.

Do you have characteristics that you see in your children that come from you? How do you influence your kids so that they don't have to learn the hard way? Is that just part of life? Thoughts?