Parental Pride is an ongoing, ever surprising thing to me.
Not surprising in that I don't expect to be proud of my little girl, but simply put: when she achieves things that she has worked so hard for - seeing her acknowledged by her teachers and peers, well ... I might be a big, scary man in some walks of life. But when it comes to that precious little girl; I cry ALL the damned time.
Without getting too personal (because this isn't her page,) I just wanna say: Papa is Very Proud of his Little Girl today, tomorrow and the day after that.
I love you, kiddo.
***
Of course, this got me thinking - as emotional life moments often do - about how this is kinda what the purpose of educating and raising people IS. At some point in our own lives and journey, we should be able to pass on the knowledge and sum totals of our experiences to those in our orbit looking to advance or challenge themselves.
Sure, sometimes that leads to frustration as well. How many times in your life have you offered counsel to a friend or loved one, cautioning them in regards to a decision / action you've personally experienced - only to see them run headlong into the situation and meet their fate.
Irritating right?
But that's where things get interesting. Because all of the people in our lives have different experiences even when faced with similar challenges. The purpose of our counsel, or our experience is to warn them of potential pitfalls and errors that are possible to make. To give them knowledge and the ability to know they can overcome said challenges when they're met.
Sometimes, these forewarned individuals rush headlong in and meet a similar fate.
Other times, they take this information and blaze a new way forward. Meeting said challenges and surpassing them. Or even better, finding new ways to resolve them that We ourselves could never have foreseen. Because that was Their Challenge to face, and only They could've done so.
In either case, the point I'm working my way towards making is that all we can ever do with those in our care, is to offer the best advice and support that is possible for them before releasing them into the wild to fend for themselves.
It's scary. For them and Us.
But it's the only way forward, and the only way for them to become the People THEY Are meant to be outside of us.
We Are What They Grow Beyond.
So, to everyone who is patient enough to want to sit under MY learning tree; whether that's Wednesdays at the Blaze Pro Academy, the number of you who regularly ask me for advice on writing, gym stuff, how to deal with conflicts in your life and more ... I guess I just wanna say, I'm Proud of You All Too.
Take that for what it's worth to you.
It's worth a lot to me.
With respect and humility,
AK
LINKTREE
