...A former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman once expressed his feelings to his children (7 and 5- year old) through a simple-worded letter, yet carrying a deep meaning for their life.
“I don’t want to turn too philosophical, but the beauty of life lies in its unpredictability. When I was young, my life was full of different expectations and I enjoyed the topsy-turvy nature of it. I was fortunate to play cricket at the highest level and represent my country. And the game taught me a lot of things. It taught me discipline, the importance of setting a goal and achieving it, and the value of hard work. Most importantly, I learnt how to handle failures. This is very important, for success and failure are two sides of the same coin. You must learn to put things in perspective and have a strong foundation to take both the ups and the downs in your stride.”
A message from a cricketer father: Don’t fear from the uncertain nature of life. Learn from it and enjoy it!
..........
Theodore Roosevelt exemplified some of the fundamental traits of parenting. Being the President of the United States of America, it was undoubted that he always ran out of time. However, irrespective of this fact, he made sure that he spent time with his kids every day. It was a fixed routine that the whole family had breakfast together. Even in the summer of 1905, when Roosevelt was busy consulting experts on building the Panama Canal and preparing for peace talks, he still reserved time for the family camping trip which he used to go on every year.
Besides this, he never differentiated between girls and boys. He encouraged both to grow up tough and active.
He also practised the mantra of patience in dealing with children. ...
A message from the President father: Spend time with your children. It will serve as a deposit for you to give returns in the future. Also, adopt ‘patience’ as the basic sutra of life and parenting
To know this and furthermore the other inspiring tales of fatherhood, read the complete article in Aug’17 edition of English Akhand Gyan Monthly Magazine.
