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Keep Close to Your Kiddo's

I went in for a mammogram yesterday (yuck) and while I was sitting in the waiting room, I read a brief article on Daymond John (do you ever watch Shark Tank?); it was pretty fascinating. I deducted a few things from the relatively short article:

- Talent and determination can be taught, but it is definitely an inherent blessing

- The strength of the relationship with your family is monumental in shaping the decisions you make

- Imagination is something to always be cultivated

Now, he didn't actually say one darn thing about imagination, but I personally believe that it is a big piece of the entrepreneurial puzzle. You have to have vision. And then of course that talent and determination will help that vision come to fruition. Mark Cuban said one night in the shark tank: "Everyone tells you how they are going to be special, but few do the work to get there. Do the work." It's the doing that allows the creation. But the quote from this article with Daymond John that stuck out to me the most was this:

"When the crack cocaine epidemic hit, it changed the neighborhood." Many of his friends were pulled into drugs and crime, but, "I had a great relationship with my mom," he says. "I couldn't let her down."

I've had a therapist tell me time and again that the transfer of values from parents to kids doesn't happen if there isn't a strong relationship built on love, trust and respect. I was astounded that Daymond John avoided the drug mess in his neighborhood - where I'm sure he had a smattering of friends fall to prey to - because he couldn't let his mom down. It made me wonder and reflect on my relationship with my kids and if by no other conviction or moral belief they personally had, they would avoid something messy because they couldn't let me down.

I keep trying to think of what other pearl of wisdom I have to share at this point, but the truth is, I'm feeling my way through this maze of bringing up happy, healthy kids just as much as the next mom. I do try to always take inventory of various situations that arise in a day's time and see where I was strong and where I was weak so that when the opportunity comes again, I can handle it better. I want my kids to have that same take - life isn't about being perfect, it's about practice, progress. And even if I do take a few steps back, there is always going to be tomorrow, or the next hour, or a next time. Always.

Here's a great thought - take your kiddo's out on a one-on-one date each month, on the day of their birthday. So, if they were born on the 3rd, you go on a date with them on the 3rd of each month. And then one night a week, have a family night where you play games, go to a movie, go for a hike, or even do a service project. Those memories will knot you closer together and last a life time. Even the bad ones - those are the ones we tend to laugh at most. Employ and enjoy.






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