I know that sounds very Yogi Bera-esque, but let's dissect it for a bit. As parents, if we don't have it, we can't give it to our children. Simple. "No, you can't have candy because I don't have any candy." I don't have an extra car to give to my second teen driver (phew!!). There are lots of material things I can't give them because I just don't have it.
But there are things we cannot give our children because we never learned them, or never experienced them. There are times I struggle to help my kids with their homework because I never took that level of math class in high school. I can't give them that knowledge or support because I don't have it to give. "I can't"....remember my previous self-enabler post?
What are you not able to provide your children because you don't have it? Reading support? Help with their writing assignment? Conversations rich with academic vocabulary? Enlightening cultural experiences that include the arts, music, theater, travel?
I guess the bigger question is: What are you doing about it? Imagine the impact on your child's future if they know you struggle with reading, but see you putting forth the effort to become a better reader!! Imagine they see you taking courses or using an app on your phone to improve your English skills.
We owe it to our children to be an example of continuous learning. It's exhausting, I know. But if we want them to be better than us, we must never stop learning.
Can you imagine the impact of them walking into the living room and you have the TV off, and you aren't playing a video game or on the computer, and you are reading a book?
Starting today my children will see me reading at least once a day. This will probably be a shocker to them. :)
But I don't want to be the reason my child says "I can't."
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