I don’t do it for recognition.
I don’t do it for awards.
I don’t do it for approvals.
I don’t do it for a statue after I die.
I do it because that is the RIGHT thing to do – things that my unpretentious self wants to do.
We were celebrating my wife’s birthday at a Mexican restaurant. The restaurant was crowded.
I never sat so close to strangers in a restaurant before. This is the first time.
At a table next to us, sat a family of four – only separated from ours with a narrow 6-inch gap. I felt like we were at the same table.
We didn’t greet each other except exchanging a few glances – especially the lady of the family.
When we were about to finish our meal, the lady started talking to us with the sweetest comment a parent can get:
“Your children are well-behaved.”
(If you haven’t noticed, she referred to J and K were seated throughout the dinner and without making any noise or fuss.)
I am quietly happy as that was an unexpected recognition that my wife and I get as parents.
Telling you this doesn’t mean to brag or to boast how well we do as parents but to tell you that raising well-behaved kids requires conscious thinking… and patience too.
It requires a different mindset than most of the parents out there.
It requires you to strip off all the masks you’re wearing and be truthful to yourself.
It requires you to do it without the need to get approvals from others.
Parenting means raising children from the heart.
And it should not be fear-driven or even mother-in-law-driven.
For more info on raising well-behaved children the way I do, get your hands on “The Nonconformist’s Guide to Parenting.”
More details – just a click away – at:
The Nonconformist’s Guide to Parenting
That comment started a conversation that covered various topics and we talked to each other like old friends. We found out later the lady is a mother of 3 children and grandmother of two.
I am proud to say we have been dining out peacefully for many years – even J and K were still very young.
We ended the dinner on a high note.
