My parents were very fair. They made sure all their children
received the same benefits and the same advantages.
There was pressure to be the best we could be, but we were
not steered based on their accomplishments or missed dreams, but on who we were
as individuals.
In the first case, on Christmas, we all received the same
amount and value of gifts. If Mary wanted a bicycle for 100 dollars and I
wanted a pair of gloves for 20, I received enough additional gifts to equal
what was being spent on Mary. In turn, she received a number of small gifts so
we each had the same number of packages under the tree.
On Easter, my mother would prepare baskets for us with the
same number or jelly beans or marshmallow eggs. This changed later, but that is
for future blogs.
For achievements, Mary was a star, I was a support player.
So when Mary starred in a play or show or class presentation, Mom would be
there cheering her on. And when I was playing in the support choir, she was
there too. I never realized that my part was less important because Mom
encouraged me to do the best I could even if I was just handing out programs.
I tried to open my son’s focus to what he was good at
without having him feel he had to be something he wasn’t just to please me. Mom
and Dad did that for us and I hope I passed it on.
No comments:
Post a Comment