Spend Time with Your Kids, Teach Them Well Worth Your 2 Minutes I have had clients fly their private jets to the small airport near our office in Toronto and show up at our first meeting saying: “Robin, I have all the money I’ll ever need and a bunch of homes scattered around the world along with a ton of public acclaim. But I’m desperately unhappy.” I ask why. “Because I lost my family while I built my business. My wife left me and my kids don’t even know me… that breaks my heart,” is how the reply usually goes. Put your family, along with your health, at the top of your priority list. Family matters. What’s the point of getting to your dreams, but being alone? Few things are more important than being an extraordinary parent. Kids grow up unbelievably fast. Blink and they’re gone — living lives of their own. It seems like only a year or two ago that my daughter was born. She’s nine now, and spends time playing with her best friend Max — a cocker spaniel. It seems like yesterday my son was in a stroller with the chubby cheeks of a baby and the sounds of an infant. Now he’s 11, reading even more voraciously than I do and sharing his vision for his future — he wants to be a venture capitalist. It’s a little sad watching your children grow up so quickly. I guess all I can do is stay devoted to them and be generous with my time. Here are some ideas that help you: Lead by example: The best way to influence your kids is to walk the talk. Model the Behaviour you wish to see. Don’t preach the beauty of books and learning and then head into your family room to watch three hours of MTV. Develop your children: See yourself not just as a parent to your children but as a ‘developer’ of them. It’s important to actively develop their minds, hearts and souls. That’s your job. Expose them to great art. Take them to interesting restaurants. Introduce them to cool people who produce unique ideas. JFK’s father would invite interesting people to dinner often. During the meal, the Kennedy kids would learn from the guest —and then quiz the visitor to deepen their learning. Inspire your kids: Parents teach their children how to view the world. Parents show kids the way the world works. And if you see the world as a place of limitation, so will those little people you are raising. Try not to teach your fears to your kids. Introduce your children to what’s possible. Inspire them to be great human beings who will elevate the world — in their own special way. Here’s a tool for you that comes from my home. Each night before my kids go to sleep, I make four statements to them. “You can do whatever you want to do when you grow up.” “Never give up.” “Whatever you do, do it well.” And “Remember how much your dad loves you.” I’ve been doing that every night for four years. They often say, “Dad, we know all this stuff now. We know we should never give up and how much you love us. It’s getting boring.” But I have a sense that one day — perhaps when I’m old and wrinkled — a letter will come in the mail from Colby or Bianca, my two favourite people. And on that piece of paper will be simple words saying, “Dad, I’m living a great life. Thank you for being the father you were. And thank you for those four statements each night. They made a difference.”
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 13:00:20 +0000
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