What Parents Do For Kids
By Mac Bledsoe
Yesterday, Barbara and I had a wonderful experience that began our New
Year on such a great note that we want to share it. Following a late
morning appointment we stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant. The
most cheerful gentleman waited us on. While making the usual small talk
he mentioned that as soon as he got off work at the restaurant he was
going to his second job as a meat cutter at the local grocery store. The
fellow looked about my age so I said, “Wow, you must be putting a kid or
two through college!”
His answer brought tears
to our eyes! “I have seven kids… but only two still at home! Five are
out on their own and supporting themselves and the two at home are in
college now. Won’t be too long before I won’t need to work two jobs!”
The key is that he said all of this with a smile!
I said, “Wow, what a
sacrifice!”
In his answer we found
an ace we could keep. He said, “It has been worth every minute of the
work. All of our kids are fantastic adults. One is a painter at the
Chevrolet dealership in Whitefish, another has a construction business
in Delaware, another is a teacher, and another is a Doctor! That fifth
one was amazing,” he said. “She had bad grades all through school but
then one day she said she was going to become a doctor. She went to
work, brought her grades up went to med school and now she is a doctor!
The last two are in college and it looks like we got lucky, all are
going to turn out all right!”
“Sir, there is very
little luck involved in how your kids turned out", I responded. It was not an
accident. The sacrifices you made on their behalf and the obvious work
ethic you taught them is the reason that they turned out to be fine
adults!”
This hard working man
clearly was a living lesson for his kids. Yes, he worked two jobs but he
did it gladly and cheerfully. He obviously taught his kids to be their
own miracles. None of them could wait for luck or good fortune to land
on their doorstep. Each would become what they chose to become and get just about
what they worked for. It was interesting to us to note that this loving
father did not seem to place any more or less value or pride in the
various professions of his kids. He was obviously equally proud of the
unique accomplishments of each child.
Another lesson he seemed
to be teaching us was that parents must never give up on kids. Keep
teaching them and eventually they will get the message. The daughter
with the poorest track record in early school eventually went the
furthest with formal education. As he put it, “I just never gave up in
believing in her! I knew that someday she would find her dream.”
As he talked of his kids
his eyes filled with tears and his permanent smile just got bigger. That
is a man who will probably go to his grave with little of material value
to show for all of his long hours of work… but he will go to his grave a
rich, rich man! He was important in the lives of his children. He
delights in the really important things in life; his kids and his
family!
So why do I share this experience about this simple, loving,
hardworking man with you parents? Because his life is a living lesson
that loving, teaching, supporting, and believing in your kids is a
wonderful way to find real meaning in life! I believe that parents who
focus on the positive in their children while continuing to teach,
teach, teach by word and example will find their days filled with a lot
more joy and a lot less stress. When it is all said and done, about the
only footprint any of us will leave on the world will lie in what we
have taught to children.
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