A Little Push Never Hurt Anybody…

My daughter was complaining recently that I push her too hard.

Working in the education field, I hear that a lot. Parents who won’t let their children breathe. Don’t they know how hard their kids are trying?

It’s hard as a parent knowing when to push and when to back down. We want our children to succeed. We want them to know what they are capable of.

We want them to be able to see themselves how WE see them…to look within and pull out that strength that is there…

I try hard not to be one of those parents…you know what I’m talking about.  😯

Don’t get me wrong, I am sure at some point I must have dreamed that my kids would make straight A’s and go to MIT or Harvard or be the next man or first woman to walk on the moon…

My kids can do anything they set their mind to; I know they can.

The thing is, I want my kids to learn how to push themselves. And they will only do that if I lead by example. And it is really, really hard sometimes.

My daughter will learn that they only way to get healthy and in shape is to push herself thru it. For now,  I will be with her every step of the way. So, yes, I push. I push myself to get up and get to that gym and exhaust my body, because I.can.do.it.

And so can she.

Sometimes, we all need a little push. A push to get out of bed. A push to try harder the next time. A push to do those things that we just don’t want to do. A push to learn something new about ourselves. To see what we are capable of.

And sometimes we need a little push to just relax. Have some fun. Take some time to ourselves. Stop working. Enjoy each other’s company.

A push to be a better me. A better you. A better us.

And sometimes we need a shove….but that’s a story for another day.