Raising some dudes.

[Brother D]

Being a parent opens your eyes to a lot of things as you watch your little ones grow older. One day, you're treating your new addition like it was made of glass, then,one day, without warning, they've  adopted your mannerisms, sense of humor and morals.

Every parent wants to do right by their children, teach them the ways of the world, protect them from harm and impart knowledge you've picked up from the university of life. Sometimes I wonder if i'm getting it right, whether i'm going too overboard with the discipline, or  they've not understood what i'm trying to teach them, but there are other times, where i think "Damn, my kids are cool!". These are the things that make us richer, give us hope and seeing love and respect in their eyes, is really rewarding, man.

Now, i'm not a wealthy man, but life has taught me some shit. Shit that i can use as lessons for my children and grandchildren too and maybe, just maybe, they, in turn, will  teach their kids if/when they have them. I'm not one for shielding them from the bad in the world,(when appropriate), to show them that out of chaos, comes calm; that death is a part of life etc and that discussing these things will give them a deep sense of morality. I hope i am the kind of parent that they can feel they can talk to if they need to, will pick them up when they're down and have their back. But sometimes it's nice to take a step back and let them show you their way, for example, my 10yr old daughter loves to sing, but sometimes she feels embarrassed when she realizes someone is watching, which is perfectly natural, but with an encouraging nudge, she now sings along with me on car journeys (which is something i'll remember forever and she may say she doesn't like my music (as it's "old"), but she will bob her head to it nonetheless!).

Even my 4yr old grandson asks for "the condition song" when he's in the car and attempts to sing along! Far out!

The point is, even though the job comes with little or no instructions, it  requires patience, encouragement, tolerance, discipline and organisation to a military standard. By the time they reach adulthood, I will hopefully have raised creative, freethinking, resourceful and empathic young people, who want to make the world a better place, for the next generation.

[Syberchick]

I feel you. My little dude has been called 'dude' so many times that he probably thinks that's his name. He's 11 years old now and of course, he calls all of his friends 'dude' as well because it's a reminder, you know, that we're all in this thing together. I just got my certificate pack and card and such yesterday, so the little dude was asking me what it's all about, seeing as how he's too young to have witnessed 'the movie' yet for himself. I told him that we are what we are, man and it's about abiding in life. I'm not sure he got it, but I plan to get him the Dudeism books for kiddos to put his mind at ease.

I truly can't think of a much better path for kids than learning to abide. We all struggle with it sometimes for sure and it's tough when the little dudes are on the undude path and things get out of hand, but in those times, a nice beverage often helps.

[BikerDude]

I've almost come to believe that the guidance that we give is at least 50% illusion.
They are weeds. They grow up just like us. Often to our horror.
Each has a Dude and a raging nihilist in them.
At best we move the needle a few notches toward the light side of the force.
But it's life that decides in the end.
We just give as much support as possible.