One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.
–Chinese Proverb
“Why do we cut the ends off of the roast every Sunday?” Sandy asked her mother, as she peeled a potato.
“Because Grandma always did,” her mother replied, placing the roast into a pan with plenty of room for a variety of vegetables.
“How come?”
The mother was rather perplexed since no one had ever asked her that question before. She had prepared the same Sunday family dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and apple pie for as long as she could remember.
“Well sweetie, I really don’t know the answer to your question.” She smiled. “Your grandma always cut the ends off of her roast and she taught me how to cook. I never ever wondered why. Let’s call Grandma and ask her why she cuts the roast that way.”
Sandy quickly grabbed the phone and dialed. “Grandma, Mom and I were just wondering why you cut the ends of the roast before you put it in the pan.”
There was a pause. “Because your grandfather’s favorite food is roast beef and that is all he wanted to eat when we were first married. Money was very tight and I didn’t have a pan big enough to fit an entire roast so I had to chop off the ends to make it fit.”
Your Viewpoint
Children come into this world with their conscious and subconscious minds completely blank, like an empty canvas. We, as parents, are the most influential people in their lives and consequently paint their canvas with our beliefs. Because our beliefs become theirs, we need to excavate any unrealistic or sabotaging thoughts before we pass them on to our children. Do you want to imprison your children with your fears, or give them the gift of knowing that they can be anything they want in this world? So often we say things about our children such as he’s lazy, she’s smart, he’s stubborn, or she’s the comic, but we must be careful about this because these thoughts help to establish a paradigm and build their reality.
Tell us how you are labeling your children. Is there anything you want to change?
