“Peanut” was the first nickname given to my older daughter. To say that she is one of the three most awesome women that I know, would be a gross understatement. The other two are my younger daughter, and of course, my wife Katy. More on Squeaky (the younger daughter) and Katy at another time. Today is all about Peanut.
Today’s blog post is more for her than it is for you folks. It’s her last full day by my side. Tomorrow she goes back to school. Unlike many parents who can’t wait for their kids to go back to school, my wife and I actually dread it. We enjoy the extra time with the kids.
OKAY…
Peanut is truly daddy’s little girl (although she is a hell of lot smarter than me). Peanut is a sponge when it comes to learning. She loves it. She reads non-fiction and always asks me questions about my various business operations. Throughout the years, my wife and I have done our best to plant seeds of REALITY-BASED wisdom – that we believe will help her have excellent judgment as she enjoys what we know will be a fantastic life.
Peanut can look at most situations, and better than most adults I know – respond with, “Dad, that doesn’t make any sense,” or “Dad, that’s smart because…” Nothing makes me happier than Peanut ‘s ever-expanding warehouse of wisdom. She has within her, an internal operating system that allows her the ability to rationally look at a situation and make the right call.
Although she is only 8.5 years old, she amazes me
to a degree that cannot be expressed in words.
The REAL point of today’s blog is not about me gushing about my daughter. The point is that the lessons she is receiving from us are very different than what’s being transmitted from parents to their children in other homes. I’m not suggesting that what we are teaching is BETTER than anyone else. Rather, what I’m suggesting is that what we are teaching to our children – is oriented toward the real world than it is…Disney World.
In Disney World, all your dreams can come true…if you wish hard enough. In my world, all your dreams DO come true if you have the right tools and the proper instruction/direction. A wish is not enough. A wish married to good intentions is no more valuable than pixie dust.
My kids are enjoying their childhood. That’s what kids SHOULD be doing. There will be plenty of time down the road for them to experience the ups and downs of life. For now, life should be about puppies, gelato, swimming, water slides, rollerblading, and bicycling. But in between all those activities (and their formal education of course) are other lessons that they will never learn in school – especially when it comes to being driven and taking personal responsibility.
A good education (school) is not enough when it comes to preparing your kids for life, especially when you consider that a lot of what is being presented in today’s classroom is really nothing more than “teaching to test.” I’m not making a statement about our children’s elementary school, which – in my opinion, is doing a great job at educating our daughters. Rather, I’m making a statement that is a reflection of what I see on the whole.
My kids are living my HEADSPACE Seminar. In fact, as Peanut looked over the work board for the upcoming HEADSPACE Seminar in Las Vegas, she pointed out that – some of the initial points that I will be addressing at the seminar are points that I’ve made in our daughter-father conversations. It’s just the coolest thing when someone so young UNDERSTANDS something that many of the “experts” (marketing, business, self-help, motivation, etc.) seem to keep missing.
She makes me so proud!
Peanut, I LOVE YOU so much!
…Love, Daddy