dear dad, who’s the disappointment now?
when parents are the biggest haters, but the kid still turns out well
Parenting is complicated. Especially with kids who are easily misunderstood just because they don’t particularly subscribe to the idea of
get a 9–5
work every day of the week.
And die.
Some of these kids want a touch of difference in the mix of all of this. Fine, they might work, but they still love to do something else that feels different from the norm of the family or norm around them.
So, how do parents navigate and guide such kids who want to have a touch of difference in this world?
I can relate with this dude who had an advertisement saying how that, putting an advert up and letting his dad know how he has built a successful company and asking the question to his dad:
who is the disappointment now?.
While this might have been a sarcastic gesture and an attention-hacking move for his company, it also informs us about how parents can be the biggest stumbling block for their children.
I can’t imagine what he had to deal with going against the status quo and, even worse, going against his parents' wishes (uh-oh). But the pride and joy after actualizing his dream was worth it.
He teased his dad by asking for a 10-pound note at the end of his letter.
Here comes a little plot twist:
His older brother also runs another successful company and thought to tease him with an advert beside his.
Oh! the joy of parenting! Now, we wait for the Dad’s response. 😁
This is great, especially the ads. I don’t have kids, but I like to think that I would’ve encouraged them to pursue whatever they wanted, with a side of pragmatism thrown in.
In addition to learning from skillful parents, it’s important to learn as well from those less skillful (if not downright neglectful or even hurtful.) In my experience working with thousands of kids and parents over the years, one of the biggest mistakes a parent can make is to, in any way, limit the potential of their child.