FranklinCovey Blog

I did this with my son and his World of Warcraft Game (WOW as the kids call it) I pay for the game every month. He gets up every morning walks and feeds the dog. Also vacuums the house every weekend. I’ve also agreed not to hassle him if he is playing the game at the times I’ve allowed him to. We put it in a contract that we both signed. Win Win!

Stephen, Thank you for reminding us to live the 7 Habits every day in our important relationships. You will indeed leave a wonderful legacy.

Ken

This is something I’m learning all over again. why? due to a divorce..I get a second chance without waiting for another lifetime.
My son came back to me with long hair and plugs in his newly pierced ears. The old me kicked in and I took the plugs from him. I wanted to cut his hair the next day.

I stepped back and remembered what I felt not having them and not knowing when I would get them back. The new me kicked in and I focused not on the plugs but how he hadn’t asked for permission from either of us parents and how it was a permanent decision he made on his own.

He didn’t accept it right away but the next had digested our talk and accepted my new flexible strictness..It’s not perfect..I took him to a stylist and when we left he cried about it but later that night I found him messing with his hair and ended up liking it..it still had his flair for style..
being a single father with our whole life ahead of us isn’t the easiest thing in the world but I just learned one of his life goals is to lead a successful life and have wealth..I live for those days now..and everything that happens leading of up to that destiny.

I am amazed to see how much of a mirror my child is of me & my behaviour, odd & even.
Thus being a father teaches me much about honesty to myself and thus to her.
Knowing that at the end I always love her, in good and in pain.
Both acting as main pillars for trust.
Trust that makes our bond strong.
Trust that will comfort us.
Trust that will ultimately lead us to win-win.

carpe diem

Great article. Its necessary to pass time with your family and child. Passing more time with your child and family helps to maintain good relationship.

I have been a single parent of 3sons for the past ten years after 15 years of msrriage. My eldest of 23 is in the SA defence force and deploying to Congo in ten days. My second eldest son of 1m9 completed gr 12 last year and has found himself a job at a lawyers firm and has started studying his LLB law degree partime through UNISA. My youngest son is 18 in six weeks and has just been expelled from school in gr ten. I am done crying about the hurt of all the things he holds against me. There are no more tears. Ialso know that there are lessons in life we cannot learn for our children. Itruly do not know what else to do for my son. His attitude has just about ripped our family of 4 to smitherings and NONE of us know what else to do.