Parenting, the glove for which good intentions/ no experience slips it's hand

This is in response to a blog I had just read earlier today about a conversation a parent said to their child. Here's the link to the actual blog but I'll sum it up for you:

Sad Parents

Mom says to her kid "If I were you I wouldn't even try it, you wouldn't be very good at it."
Within minutes the dad says "Yeah you wouldn't be very good at that."
The blogger thinks thats a bad thing.

Here's my response:

I'm not a parent but I know lots of them, I watch people parent their kids and sometimes I feel the same way Tom is feeling. Give the kids a break! It's paramount that they know that anything is possible, let them do crazy things, it's the people who think they are crazy enough to change the world that end up changing it (Jobs 2011RIP). However, it's just as important to let them fail and learn that lesson on their own. I know you don't want your kid to be sad but the key thing that isn't taught enough is it's even worse if they don't try.

Now another thing in teaching this lesson are the parents actions, or more so their inaction,  in life. We want to tell our kids they can do anything, yet most of us are stuck in jobs we don't like, complain about crap and generally show them that its ok to not try. This typical behaviour is showing our kids the exact lesson we want them to avoid.

If you want to tell your kid he can do anything, the best thing you can do for him/her is show them that. They learn more from watching you than any words that come out of your mouth. If they see you following your dreams and see your determination then there is a higher likelihood of them learning that lesson. Telling isn't selling, especially to kids who are more apt to copy what they see rather then what you say.

It's like lighting up a smoke and telling your kid it's bad for them and that they shouldn't do it. Do you think your kid is going to understand the addictive nature of nicotine? Or that they cause cancer? No. He's going to see you light this thing up (with fire and sparks! kids love that), take a drag and watch how good it makes you feel.

My point is, the best thing you can do for your child is be the best person you can be. This means following your dreams, failing at them, getting up, trying again or move on to another dream. Oh, I almost forgot, heaven forbid he/she sees you actually succeeding at them.

Signed The nonparent

#Lent

It's the first day of Lent and I have to give up something I hold dear to me. Why? we'll get into the religious rhetoric another time, but as of now, I'll be realistic on the vice I wish to eradicate for the next 40 days and nights.

I can't give up alcohol ( I have my 2nd can of Stiegl Bier in my hand) Sweets, or eating poorly ( later today we'll be at The Burger Priest.)What I can give up is something I have recently come to love, stillness. I'm going to be constantly moving, doing things, going places in a concerted effort to boycott sitting still.

Most of us could stand to use a bit more movement in our lives and be healthier. Right now I'm probably the most out of shape I have ever been. I'm happy but at the same time I miss having a 3 day supply of energy. So this lent, starting today, I'm going to keep moving! I am going to finish this beer.

First Post

This is the first of my bi weekly posts covering a range of topics from Toronto, it's entertaining politics to events and of course my dog Lola. I've been meaning to do this for quite sometime now but, like most of us, have put it off til later. Which is the topic of my first post. Why do we wait to do the things we love?

As a kid I could never wait, I wanted everything and I needed it right now. Yet the older I get the more patient I've become. Soon, I was so complacent that I  was doing few things that I loved and spending more time recouping from a hard days work. I had every excuse validated which made it easy for me to put my dreams on hold. Until I turned 30.

Turning 30 made me realize that if you're not doing what you love, either as a job or on your own time then you're not really living. So I quit my job and partnered with a friend to form my first company. So why stop there? Next thing you know I got a puppy and I started letting my inner child back out. This would turn into the best and scariest idea I have ever had. To be a professional writer.

Now, I don’t recommend this path to everyone, I had a plan. I took the steps I needed to in order to try and make this work and maintain the level of Torontonian life I was used to. This isn’t to say I haven’t made sacrifices, believe me, I did. The long of the short is, take chances while you are young, don’t be irresponsible, don’t get drawn into something unless it’s what you really want to do. We all know what society expects from us but the reality is it’s your life, so chase your dreams. It’s one thing to try and fail it’s a whole other thing to never have tried at all.

Here's my first sample of writing.

http://9nl.com/i22c/

Cheers