I am the first to admit that I am not a perfect parent.
I am still struggling with this…
I bought a copy of The Last Lecture at a book fair. The book is a transcript of a highly viral video on YouTube posted more than 5 years ago. Randy Pausch made the awesome speech before he died of cancer on July 25 2008.
(BTW, you can watch the video here)
I am aware of this story but a recent revisit reminded me of this challenge that I need to be conscious of… and hopefully get rid of in the future.
In the book (or video), there’s a chapter that talks about Randy’s brand new Volkswagen convertible. He wanted to take his sister’s two young children for a spin. But his sister was worried that Chris and Laura would dirty the car.
To make things better for the kids so that they can have a peaceful ride, Uncle Randy did something a new car owner would never have done. He opened a can of soda and poured it on the backseat – right in front of his sister and the kids. Since the car was longer “clean,” the kids could enjoy the ride without any apprehension.
What’s the message did Randy try to tell?
“PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS”
Back to the challenge I need to tackle. Randy sums it up for me very nicely and I am still struggling to put this principle at work.
When someone breaks something, I put the person to task. I really have to learn to put my concerns more on people rather than worrying about things.
In fact, it covers more than parenting. This principle works best too for spouses, friends, family members. Heck, as long as people are involved, this principle works perfectly.
Next time when you are faced with a choice of people and things, choose the former.
For more tips on putting your priorities right, check out my “The Nonconformist’s Guide to Parenting.”
Perhaps you can enjoy it with a can of soda if you are not pouring it on the backseat.
