For myself - Where am I? What am I doing? How happy am I? Am I successful, healthy, wiser?
For my girlfriend - Are we married.....nevermind, yes, we're definitely married. Are we happily married? Is she spending her time how she wants to spend it? Is she proud of her husband? Are we going where we want to go, when we want to go, and how we want to go?
For our son - What's he like? What's he into? Is he like his dad? His mom? A little of both? Where does he live? What does he do for a living? Is he happy, motivated, positive? Does he look up to his parents?
I'm not a visionary, but I do know how I can all but guarantee that our son is living life the "right" way. In fact, there's only one way. And that's to be an example our son would be proud to emulate.
Simple question - "If my son or daughter were living how I'm living, would I be ok with that?" I said simple - not easy. That could certainly be a painful question for some. I know for me there are certain things I would want him to copy, and certain things I would hypocritically teach him not to do.
I don't know what the world will be like when our son is my age, but I do know what type of world I'd like to create for him. That part is up to me and mom. We're responsible for shaping the type of man he'll hopefully grow into. Its our job to imagine who we want our son to become, and then get busy being that!
Nice article! I always think the same things for my children and I have four. But like you said the most important thing we must do as parents is to set the right example and to shape them into the great individuals I see our children to be in the near future. Thank you and great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks much sir! I'm all about allowing children to find themselves, and create their own sense of self, but I think parents underestimate their importance sometimes. Sounds like you're a great impact on your four little ones. Cheers!
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