BS"D
Parenting Tip #70
Project Kavey Zichron Chaya and Shlomo Boruch presents
"Parenting Tips"
by Rabbi Dov Brezak


The Secret Of Champions

The way we react to a child that is not satisfying our demands and not living up to our expectations depends on our objective. If the child’s failure is our focus we will choose to react with disappointment frustration and anger as these will encourage more of the same. If we truly aspire towards the child’s success, we will patiently and willingly help the child towards success, despite his present failure. The principal way in which to accomplish this is to make it easier for the child to meet our demands and then catch him doing it right.

One father wanted his young son to excel at the sport of bowling. After the pins at the end of the bowling lane had been set up automatically, this father placed several additional pins in the gutters, so that the child’s ball could not miss hitting bowling pins, and the father could point out to him his “success.” This father “taught” his son that he could succeed. When the child grew up, he bowled professionally. Following one extraordinarily successful tour, an interviewer asked him to reveal the key to his outstanding success. “I had a very unusual father,” was his response.

To obtain practical applications of this tip along with questions and answers regarding the tip please refer to the expanded version. The expanded version of this tip is available for a $5 monthly fee. To register for the expanded version please send an e mail with your request to kaveytips@gmail.com.