In my own life, there’s no amount of success or money that’s more important than your child being healthy and happy. There’s nothing that can put a band-aid on that.
If watching your child die is a parent’s worst nightmare, imagine having to tell your other child that his sister is dead… Although I am certain that he cried, that we all cried, what I remember more is how we collapsed into each other, as if the weight of our loss literally crushed us.
And before our current legislature adjourns, we intend to become the first state of full and true choice by saying to every low and middle-income Hoosier family, if you think a non-government school is the right one for your child, you’re as entitled to that option as any wealthy family; here’s a voucher, go sign up.
Do not, on a rainy day, ask your child what he feels like doing, because I assure you that what he feels like doing, you won’t feel like watching.
If your child’s going to ride in a car or go swimming or play soccer, all of those things involve risk. And if your child doesn’t do any of those things, then they’re probably sitting too much, and that involves risk, too.
Anytime you have a difficult encounter with your child, there is a good chance that at least one of these factors is bringing out the worst in him or her: transitions, time pressure, competition for your attention, conflicting objectives.
You get perspective on things when you’re away from your child, and in a way, your love for them becomes even deeper.
Nobody is so busy in life where you can make no time for your child.
My parents never told me I was beautiful, and for one very good reason. I wasn’t. When your child is a tubby, bespectacled little oddity, as I was, it’s important not to give them false expectations.
If your child marches to a different beat, a different drummer, you might just have to go along with that music. Help them achieve what’s important to them.
It is my desire to break the destructive generational cycle of illiteracy in the home by focusing on the children. Reading to your child has so much value as a parent because it opens the lines of communication.
When you give directives to a child, especially a teenager, you must consider the nature of your child.
When you’re in the middle of it, when you’re a kid growing up, you don’t think, ‘This is my first heartbreak.’ You just think, ‘My heart is broken.’ But then as a parent, you look back, and you see your child go through his or her first heartbreak, and you’re realizing, ‘Oh my God, this is her first heartbreak.’
I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that this is somehow a stranger who is carrying your child. And this is absolutely not true. Your surrogate becomes one of your best friends and a member of your family.
You cannot work and be at home with your child. But you want both.
There is nothing your child is going to learn right now at the age of 10 that is going to make or break their career at 24. There just isn’t.
I believe in allowing your child to be who they want to be – as long as they want to be something great.
Your child probably won’t get into the Ivy League or win a sports scholarship. At age 24, he might be back in his childhood bedroom, in debt, after a mediocre college career. Raise him so that, if that happens, it will still have been worth it.
As a father, I understand the importance of the bond that develops through reading picture books with your child.
My parents always made education and school the number one priority. They believed that an education is the best gift you can give to your child.
As a general rule, when your child, or anyone in the work force, doesn’t know what he/she wants to do, they should instead always be developing skills and competencies that will qualify them for the jobs that companies are most looking to fill and increase their hireability.
I wish my parents hadn’t made me feel that how I looked was linked to how much they loved me. But I do also see how hard it must be to see your child pile on the pounds and trust they’ll find their own way back to a healthy weight.
If your child seems to click with another kid in the class, try to set up a time for you to meet at a park after school and get to know their parent. Seeing you be outgoing with the parents of other children will encourage your child to be open and active in their friendships, too!
