Do it For Them!

They speak with voices rarely taken seriously.  They come into this world involuntarily.  They are subjected to whatever life is given them.  Some are seen on TV with malnutritioned bodies that leave even the toughest character with a sentimental thought.  Others a thrown into national prominence, prestige, and prowess before they can even read.  Yet at the end of the day, they all are still the same.  They are our children.

Without going into my political beliefs, I would say that it is a shame that we tend to balance budgets on the backs of our children’s education.  We cut this and that in order to secure more lining for our pockets.  We often use them in custody battles, and as pawns to secure as much money as we can during divorces.

Last night as I lay on my sick bed, playing with my son that had gotten me sick, I begin to think.  I’ve recently made the controversial decision to leave my 9-5 in order to attend law school full-time, and to focus on my ultimate dream of owning a successful business entity.  As I sat there looking at my son, I wondered if it would just be enough to work a 9-5 and to give him his basic needs.  I contemplated if my dream chasing was really worth streamlining my budget in order to make things happen.  I wondered if studying 8-12 hours a day, while attending class, and building a company was just taking on too much.  I asked myself, “is it all worth it?”

As I looked at my son, I had no other option but to say yes.  By pursuing my dreams, I’m also pursuing a better life.  I’m setting a standard for him that he must not just settle for the easiness of life.  Now I will not require him to follow in my footsteps and attend law school.  Nor will I say he has to be like his Mother and go for his PhD.  Yet I will require of him that he gives life his all.

At the end of the day, everything I do will in some way or another affect him.  He didn’t ask to come into this world, but as his father I need to do all I can to show him all he can do in this world.  We as parents have a responsibility to set a standard for our children.  We must show them that they are able to do anything they put their minds to.  It is time for us to stop settling for what is comfortable, and for us to move into “miracle territory”.  We have to be examples to our children of what it is like to be successful in whatever we put forth our hands to do.   Our children are looking at us to show them the way.  At the end of the day, if you can’t pursue your dreams for yourself at least do it for them.

Just me