This morning my husband and I got into an argument over Serena Williams. My 12 year old is on the tennis team and it’s a big deal to me. So, I thought it would be a great idea to show her one of the best tennis players in the world. My husband quickly pointed out that he wanted to watch something entertaining in the morning rather than look at someone play sports. Then a clip comes on with Serena’s father taking them to the court and teaching them how to play tennis. So, I engaged my daughter into conversation and politely ignored my husband and pointed out what inspiration looked like.  Maybe I shouldn’t have ignored my husband, but to my defense, I did inform him that he gave me a topic for my blog. As a parent, is there a wrong or right way to inspire our children to be great?

Children aren’t like flowers, you can’t just give the food, sunlight, and a few good words every now and then and think that those things will cast them into greatness.  Prior to this new chapter in my life, I thought that my children would be fine because they had my direction. I taught them right from wrong, told them to be good people, and even talked to them about the dangers of sex and drugs. I don’t think that was enough. I had the lecture part down, but I don’t think I really encouraged them to be all they could be. We have to inspire and show our children that they matter. Sadly, I’ve come to the end of my post and the answer is still unclear. I don’t know if there is a right or wrong way to inspire my girls, but I know trying is better than not trying. At least they know I care, and maybe that in itself will inspire them to try harder. It comes down to their memories of me, will they remember me being a source of encouragement? I recall a lot of things with my mother, but sadly encouragement was not one of those things. I want my girls to have that memory of me.