Parents of Young Children: the Key to your Child's Success

My youngest child was about five years old when my mother died. It comforts me to know that she knew him and his five older brothers and sisters even though just this past week, she missed the birth of a great grand daughter. She has also missed graduations, weddings and scores of games, meets and tournaments.

In spite of not being there for so many important moments, I like the fact that she knew my children.  The reason I feel like she knew my now nineteen year old son is because so much of what makes him him was evident at age five. I hope this gives every parent of young children reading this pause because what you do day to day has so much importance for the rest of your child’s life.

Certainly, they arrive with certain predispositions and personality traits but how those are manifested will be influenced by you. A strong willed child can become obstinate or just determined and tenacious. Your guidance will make all the difference. Proactively, teaching character to your children in bite sizes and in a fun way will boost  your influence and prepare them for success.

My youngest son, Kian, just returned from heading down to Oklahoma with some other young men who had received emergency response training from Alert. He put in twelve hour days moving heavy debris after the area was ravaged by a tornado. I was most impressed with his willingness to do this because to do so he had to take time off from his summer job. Even at four years old, he seemed to understand the connection between money and work. He rarely takes time off for any reason and had just passed on a get away to stay and work.

I’m obviously proud of him but one day he will continue to do charitable works and I won’t be here to see it. But I will know the kind of person he is and as I’m in the grandma years, it’s comforting to know that I am leaving the next generation in good hands.

I want to do everything I can to also help you draw out the strengths in your children and address their weaknesses. Exercising Values: Family Fitness with a Character Emphasis was written with that goal in mind. It was written with you in mind. There are scads of programs out there to address specific behavior problems. I wanted to give you a tool to prevent problems. That it’s fun and will help you stay in shape is a bonus.

A favorite picture I have of my mother was taken just a couple years before she died. She is racing three year old Kian and with a big smile, his arms are thrown up in victory. He’s still a happy person and he still has a competitive bent. Yet I’ve seen him occasionally throw a pick-up game if his competitor is getting frustrated. I’ve never seen him do that at a real event. Again, he likes to compete. But he will let someone else win if he thinks they need the boost.

As I remember it, I think my mom might have let him win that race in the picture. Maybe what we are passing down to our children will even be passed on to the generation after us. Do a good job today so you can say, “I hope so”.