Do you ever wonder what habits, thoughts, and lessons your kids are TRULY picking up from you? I know my wife, Jodi and I think about this a lot. Matter of fact, I can remember vividly when our daughter, Sage, was a toddler and we were “teaching” her about right and wrong, do’s and don’ts, the good, the bad, the ugly… you know, the typical parenting stuff you read in What To Expect: The Toddler Years.  Well… let’s just say if we had more time to think BEFORE we acted we might have handled this particular situation a tad bit differently. After our failed parenting session, I said to Jodi, “I think we just gave Sage some good stuff for her first therapy session. Forget the college fund; we need to setup a therapy fund.” Of course we chuckled at each other and committed to improving ourselves so this would not happen again.

As Sage has moved into her upper elementary years, there’s a whole new set of rules for parenting.  Who knew? Maybe you did, but we sure did not. NOW… you have to watch carefully what you do, because your children are watching too, and guess what? They are paying attention; the sneaky little devils. LOL! I get reminded of this every time Sage repeats something I say or mimics a way I handle a situation. Oh boy! Talk about putting the mirror in front of your face.

Well… tonight I learned that Sage has noticed the enjoyment I get from writing stories of our experiences here in Costa Rica for this blog. So much so that she was inspired to write a story of her own about an experience she had with me tonight. And Yes, I am going to post Sage’s story right here – in her own words – but first, I have to tell you that when she read her story to me, I was beaming with delight and pride.

OK… on to the story.

Those of you who know me realize that I need to set up this story. Sorry… it’s just how I am. So here goes. Tonight, I asked Sage to help me change a light bulb in a hanging ceiling lamp that I could not reach. After this experience, she decided to write her story in letter format to her teacher, Ms. Paige.

Dear Ms. Paige,

Tonight, on the 3rd floor, my Dad had to change a light bulb. My Dad was too short to reach ’cause the light was tall. My Dad said, “Hey Sage, can you do a favor for me?” And I said, “Yes.” He said, “Stand on my shoulders and try to reach the light bulb.” “Okay,” I said. So I got on my Dad’s shoulders and I said with fear, “Yes, I can touch it.” “Okay, can you unscrew it?” he said. So I unscrewed it. I was so scared!!! Then he said, “Can you screw another bulb in that works?” Saying with bravery, “Sure.” I went back on his shoulders and screwed the bulb in. Now, the light bulb works. I wrote this story to you because I thought it was really amazing that I did that and that I was brave enough to actually get on my Dad’s shoulders.

Love, Sage

<pause to smile REAL BIG>

Reading this story, written by my daughter, really made me think about how we inspire our children. Or, how we inspire any young person who happens to cross our path. Do we leave them with something inspirational? What do we teach them with our actions? Remember, they’re watching. I’m really interested to hear about your experiences… Yes, you – the one reading this blog post. How do you inspire your children and/or any young person who crosses your path? I know the stories are flowing through your mind… and so my hope is that you will be willing to share them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Our best thoughts come from others.”

Pura Vida,

John