A parent told his party-going child, “Have fun at the party.”
The father continued, “But remember to behave yourself.”
The child was confused, “How am I going to have fun if I behave myself?”
The child got a point. The parent was speechless…
The story stuck in my head until now and I wanted to use this story as a reminder so I do not make the SAME mistake.
Then one day, J and K were having fun in the shower.
From the noise they made, anyone could tell they really let loose and were having great fun.
Yelling, laughing, and more screaming…
Until one stage, I couldn’t stand anymore the noise from them.
I told them to keep quiet.
J was calm and didn’t agree with what I said, “Daddy, you asked us to enjoy and have fun. But how can we have fun if you ask us to keep quiet?”
She got a point. It’s my turn to be speechless.
I did tell them to have fun – in fact I do all the time.
But, in this case, the irony is when they were having fun, I told them to stop.
I made myself very inconsistent.
Just like me, parents want kids to be happy. But sometimes due to lack of foresight and limitations, we are the very factor that causes the kids not to be happy.
Sounds paradoxical, doesn’t it?
Well, what I can tell you is to be carefree and don’t be uptight. As long as we get the priorities right, things will fall into place.
So what are your priorities? Having fun or noiseless?
For more parenting tips, check out “The Nonconformist’s Guide to Parenting.”
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