Week 1, Day 5
Week 1 Theme:
Key Life Lessons
Day 5 Point:
Mantras
My wife had to go out of town for a week, so I became Mr. Mom. One time my kids came and gave me the famous line: "We’re bored!" My response: “It’s not my job to solve your problems, it’s my job to help you solve your problems.”
They replied, that’s what Mommy always says.
Summing up life’s lessons into cute slogans or mantras is not just good for explaining the dilemma you are in – it’s phenomenal for laying the life foundation children need on their journey.
We may not think they mean much, but just as we recall the lines our parents often said to us, so too we are instilling in our children these beacons of focus. Just think how proud you will be, 20-odd years from now, when you hear your children say to your grandchildren: "It’s not my job to solve your problems, it’s my job to help you solve your problems," knowing that you originated that idea in your family.
Unfortunately many people have mantras that have negative connotations. I often hear people saying things like, “it’s not my lucky day” “that’s what you get for being nice!” and many more. These lines have impact and your children will repeat them and make them part of their way of thinking.
Action Point:
Take note of your lines, good and bad, and focus on not saying the mantras that you don’t want your children to believe.