While being a good parent or teacher is a difficult and sometimes terrifying task, it can be also be a terrific thrill. Some people are frightened out of their minds of becoming parents or parenting the children which they already have’”and understandably so’”being a parent is something I approached with a good deal of excitement and not a little trepidation. But, no matter your situation, it is my firm belief that settling for mediocrity in parenting should never be considered an option. Nowhere in life is your enthusiasm for your profession more crucial than in the care and teaching of children.
In looking for sources for our enthusiasm we can become intensely focused on the day to day achievements of our children. Whether it’s our precocious pupil learning to spell vacuum while still in kindergarten or the boisterous child sitting quietly for a full two minutes, these herculean feats give us a sense of accomplishment.
However, when outward progress is slow, labored, or non-existent we can’t afford to be any less enthusiastic. But without any noticeable indications of success how can we find fulfillment? The answer is a simple truth that is easy to say, but hard to practice’”Focus on your efforts, not the results.
You can find fulfillment in something as simple as being the very best parent you can be. In time the results of your efforts will come to the fore. When they do, enjoy them’”they’re the fruits of your effort!
Your children are your masterpiece’”you alone know the extent of your potential’”go for it!
–Sam Peck
Michelangelo, painting the matchless frescoes on the high ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, spent countless hours on his back on high scaffolding, carefully perfecting the details of each figure. A friend asked him why he took such pains with figures which could be seen only at a distance by viewers. “After all,” said the friend, “who will know whether it is perfect or not?” “I will,” replied the artist.
– Good Thots 1
