Their success is our success

Are you a Tiger dad?

What family experience will leave an indelible mark in your children’s memory?

Mine consistently share memories that meant the world to them, but have long since been lost in the fog of parenting for me. That’s the rub: we don’t get to choose what matters to them. I have learned there is one thing every memory they treasure has in common. Time with dad all to themselves.

Being fully present in the moment is a start. When I come home, my briefcase stays in the car. I put the phone on vibrate. From the time we get home till the lights go out upstairs is the brief window life gives us to take in the changing scenery of our children as they grow.

Just like a master gardener told me once, every garden reflects the shadow of its tender; we need to fully put our shadow in the garden of their lives daily. That means being present. I strive to give them the same attention I give a client. Except, with them, I’m selling them on being an example worth following.

They seldom enjoy being uprooted from their favorite television show, or taken from the computer, just to go do something with dad. But, they return home happy they went, sprouting a memory that might make the difference one day.

We water the seeds, tend the earth, clear the weeds, and watch them grow. Will we raise another Tiger because of some extra tending time and one-on-one attention? I’m willing to take the risk.

Related posts:

1. Tending our garden