Family & Relationships
Read an excerpt (continued):
Why do I want you to do this? I have seen way too many parents looking at their thirty-five-year-old kid wishing they had done things differently when their kid was little. Their thirty-five-year-old "child" is broke, unhappy, can't figure out how to be in a relationship, may still live at home or is still dependent on them. And those thirty-five-year-olds will go out there and pass on the same faults when they have kids of their own.
If you are looking at a thirty-five-year-old disaster, face it, folks: It is too late. You have failed as a parent. You have failed yourself, your child and your child's children. You have failed society. And all of us will end up bearing the burden of your failure. Thanks! Think of that the next time you bump into a thirty-five-year-old idiot; you should send his parents a thank you note because it's their fault.
HINDSIGHT IS 20/20.
You've heard that old saying. Twenty-twenty hindsight is fine when you are thinking on Monday about how you shouldn't have washed your car on Sunday because you heard it would rain and sure enough, it did. It's fine when you are looking back at how some investment didn't turn out to be your finest decision.
While the consequences may be serious, a bad investment normally isn't a life-destroying issue. However, looking at your thirty-five-year-old disaster of a human being and wishing you had done things differently is not okay. Twenty-twenty hindsight doesn't matter at that point. It's too late. You can't go back and re-raise your child. You have to have foresight when raising your kid. That's what I am trying to help you develop with this exercise: foresight. I want you to have the foresight to actually design the thirty-five-year-old adult you want your child to eventually become.
Take the time right now, yes, right now, to fill out these pages.
WHAT KIND OF ADULT DO YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO GROW UP TO BECOME?
WHAT INFORMATION WILL YOUR CHILD NEED TO KNOW TO BECOME THAT KIND OF AN ADULT?
WHAT HAVE YOU ALREADY TAUGHT YOUR CHILD THAT WOULD LEAD HIM OR HER TOWARD BECOMING THAT KIND OF AN ADULT?
WHAT DO YOU STILL NEED TO TEACH YOUR CHILD?
Congratulations! You have just written your own book on how to raise a productive, caring, smart, loving, responsible, welladjusted adult. Now that you have written yours, read mine.
