Monday Mantra ~ {Signature}

As a parent, one thing that truly amazes me is how passionate and invested I get with my children's interests.  Maybe it's part of my personality-I easily empathize with emotions.  For example, a few years ago, I never thought I would know, let alone care about all things dinosaur.  But when my oldest son became obsessed with paleontology, I found myself riding his shirt-tail all the way through the Mesozoic Era!  I know for many parents, it's hard to let your kids become their own person, especially when they are so young and impressionable.  I still struggle with it occasionally.  But when I came across the following quote, it really left an imprint on me.  Which brings me to today's Monday Mantra:

Luckily, I had a great example of this in my dad.  As long as I can remember, I have loved to write.  At a young age, I told my dad I wanted to be a famous author.  Instead of giving me a reality check, he told me I had to start small.  He encouraged me to enter the school's reflections contest and win.  Yes, he told me I needed to win.  (I did, by the way.)

My dreams and goals vastly changed as I meandered through adolescence, teenage, and on to my adult years. Through it all, my dad never made my dreams seem too big or too far out of reach - no matter how crazy they may have been.

As I watch my own children find new interests and try new things, I sometimes find myself wanting to steer them a titch one way or another.  And I think at their young ages, that's okay.  I have no experience with teenagers, and I suppose once things start to get serious, you will need to make sure they understand the pros and cons of their future choices.  But for now, I sure enjoy watching my son eat, sleep, and breathe dinosaurs.  And I can't wait to see the signature my children create.