Yesterday, we had to give our children some bad news. Never an easy thing to do. I won't go into what the news was because it is of a personal nature and it's irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make.
My daughters have rarely seen me cry. I am a bit of a cry baby, but I've managed to keep that side of me from them for a long time. Yesterday, as I spoke with them, I cracked. They saw me lose it. They were upset of course, but Melissa did something that amazed me: she walked away and came back with a little card I have on my desk that reads: Count your blessings not your worries. Of course, me being the tough guy that I am, this made me really start bawling.
The amazing thing is that children will go where you lead them. For the longest time, I have tried to teach my children certain values and attitudes. Positivity is something I want them to have. Given how negative I was most of my life, I find it important to teach them this while they are young, to make these beliefs a part of their nature. If it's my job to mold them into the women they will be one day, then I need to focus on nurturing the good, not whatever their nature may be.
I believe many of us are predisposed to certain attitudes, but I also believe that these attitudes can be replaced with different attitudes. Just as the happiest person can become jaded and angry with the pressures and worries of every day life, the darkest attitude can be lightened with practice.
Yesterday, Melissa made me proud. It's not the first time and it won't be the last. She is an amazing person. The credit for this goes to God, not to her earthly parents. I'm just glad I haven't screwed that up.
Teach your kids the right thing in every circumstance. Talk to them like your equals, not like inferiors. Show them to have confidence, and you never know when they will reward you.
God bless you. Make it a great day.
- Adolfo
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