1. PARENTS – a look from both sides


IF YOU ARE A CHILD:

Know this to be true:

  • They LOVE you even if you don’t think they show it
  • They want the best for you – they want you to be successful and happy in your life
  • They spend a fortune in raising you – if you don’t believe me, try and work out what it costs to clothe and feed you, buy you presents for birthdays, and all the other things they do for you. If they took that same money (multiplied by your age) and invested it they would be millionaires. Instead they chose YOU.
  • Yes some are going to want you to do the things they couldn’t do – whether you want that or not
  • Some want to be proud and say “… my daughter, the doctor”, “…my son, the lawyer” or whatever they see in their mind’s eye. They are trying to give you what they didn’t get. Respect.
  • I am sure that Bill Gates’ family were horrified when he dropped out of Harvard to start playing with electronics in their garage.
    • I am certain they don’t feel the same today!
    • I am pretty sure that the number of drop-outs that make the “big time” are few and far between
  • Strangely enough, the one thing that every parents says they want for their child is for them to be happy. Some do have some interesting ways of showing that!
  • You will ALWAYS be their “child” regardless of your age

 

IF YOU ARE A PARENT:

Know this to be true:

  • Your child cannot understand why you force them into something in which they have absolutely no interest. They see it as a total waste of money
  • Some children are deeply concerned about the amount of money you have invested in them and worry about the burden it puts on you to pay for it all
  • Some children hate the courses you insisted they take and are thinking of pulling out of college to get away from them
  • I know you think you know what is best for them but do you, really?
  • Please don’t ask them to live the dream you never had a chance to live – that was your dream. It is not theirs
  • Remember, that some children will have the strangest combination of talents. Watch what they love to do in their free time and pick up on those clues. For example, I do woodwork as well as I crochet and have a workshop full of tools that make most men drool when they see them.
  • Remember, if they love drama they are likely to be dramatic! Amazing how many parents miss this one. If they love to read, alone, they probably loathe big family gatherings where they are forced to be social.
  • If  you have a “performer” as a child, be that in sports, music, dance, drama or comedy, know that being in performance mode is a huge stress on the body and soul no matter how much they love it. Make sure they have plenty of downtime and space to just be normal. Don’t be surprised if their idea of of normal is peace and quiet
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