Be The Person You Want Your Children to Be

Most parents have hopes and dreams for their children. I would guess that if asked a majority of parents would list happiness as their first goal for their kids probably followed by college and financial independence.

Having a nineteen year-old daughter and a son in high school has brought forth an acute awareness that I am being watched very closely. I see clearly how all of these years I’ve been parenting, I’ve had two sets of eyes and two hearts studying my every action and decision.

I ask myself the question. Am I the person I want my children to be? My first goal for my kids was that I wanted them to be happy. Am I happy? Yes, very but there was a time when I was going through the motions of life and not appreciating all that I had. I was overwhelmed with work and responsibility and it affected my every day happiness. If you had asked me at that time what I wanted for my kids I would have said happiness yet I wasn’t living it. Years later when our lives had fallen into a better balance, Kai casually mentioned the positive change he had seen in me. My first reaction was sadness. In my quest for fulfilling my needs above my children’s I had taught selfishness and unhappiness. Then I tried to look at the big picture and hope that the lesson he learned was self discovery and courage to make a change. I became aware of how significant my parenting actions were–more so than my words.

When I look at every aspect of my life, my marriage, my friendships, my work, my spirituality, and I compare them with my hopes for my children it forces me to see the areas in my life where I am lacking. How could I hold such high expectations for my children when I don’t set the example?

Therefore my goal for 2013 is to be the person I want my children to be. I’m starting with the lesson of following your dreams and perseverance…I’m very excited to announce MYSTIC will be available through CreateSpace on January 5th 2013!