Family Values
Growing up on a farm in the English countryside was wonderful – the one rule I remember in our house was to be outside whilst the sun was up! I have fond memories of jumping on my pony bare back in the field, making mud pies, adventuring through the swamp and talking to the fairies in the flower garden! Since my childhood, I have traveled much of the world discovering the cities of Europe, the mountain peaks of Nepal, the forest in Australia and many countries in between. I have stayed in the most luxurious hotels and slept many nights under the stars. All of those adventures on a small farm in the English countryside developed into a world traveler.
I have just completed an eight day training called Family Values, where we explored what it means to be a parent and the responsibility of a parent, and a person in a position of authority. Our childhood shapes our foundation and the decisions we make for the rest of our lives yet there is no PhD, no formal education for parenthood – so how do you prepare? How do you learn to be a good parent? I trust there are certain natural instincts that come alive in a woman once she is pregnant, yet that still does not answer the question of what to do; how to teach, punish, reward, build and nurture a child. Having questioned these things over the last days I have concluded there are no “right” answers to these questions – there is knowing my values, what is right for me – and what I believe is the right for the child and having the mental tools to evaluate based on that. I believe this principle applies to all relationships – it feels like compassion; considering other.
I feel very fortunate for the choices my mother made – whilst they were not always easy for her, and choices I do not think she would have made had she not had children – the effects of her choices laid out a beautiful foundation for me.
Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.
Anne Frank
Tags: Anne Frank, family values, humanity, mother, parenting