Ruben Naverrette: "The Complicated Job of Being a Father"
Mr. Navarrette is one of my favorite columnists. He writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune and I consider him a center-left columnist (he may disagree with that!) who is thoughtful and logical - traits that I feel are quite often lacking on the left.
"The Complicated Job of Being a Father" reminds me of Peggy Noonan - and that is not a small compliment as I hold her writing a peg above most - taking a personal event and relating it to the society, particularly the political ether of the moment, in a way that is not only insightful, but instructive to the reader. The column talks about Conway Twitty, Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama, before it reaches the penultimate paragraph and his conclusions on how he will raise his new-born son:
"...Here's the plan: I'll push him to excel, and I'll demand that he give his very best efforts to every task. I'll teach him what it means to honor his responsibilities. I'll teach him to treat everyone with respect and to never look down on anyone. When there is conflict - as there will be - I'll treat him with respect. When the time comes to choose a path in life, I'll try to let him make his own decisions and mistakes, as long he doesn't harm himself or others. And if he fails, I'll try to catch him.
I have to. That's my job."
Speaking as a father who has been through that arduous task: "You have the right plan, Mr. Navarrette, and understanding it that clearly at this early stage will guarantee success!."
"The Complicated Job of Being a Father" reminds me of Peggy Noonan - and that is not a small compliment as I hold her writing a peg above most - taking a personal event and relating it to the society, particularly the political ether of the moment, in a way that is not only insightful, but instructive to the reader. The column talks about Conway Twitty, Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama, before it reaches the penultimate paragraph and his conclusions on how he will raise his new-born son:
"...Here's the plan: I'll push him to excel, and I'll demand that he give his very best efforts to every task. I'll teach him what it means to honor his responsibilities. I'll teach him to treat everyone with respect and to never look down on anyone. When there is conflict - as there will be - I'll treat him with respect. When the time comes to choose a path in life, I'll try to let him make his own decisions and mistakes, as long he doesn't harm himself or others. And if he fails, I'll try to catch him.
I have to. That's my job."
Speaking as a father who has been through that arduous task: "You have the right plan, Mr. Navarrette, and understanding it that clearly at this early stage will guarantee success!."
Labels: General
posted by Jim | 9:21 AM
1 Comments:
i could not agree with you more. too bad the dads (and moms and coaches and teachers, etc) who teach kids that their self esteem and self worth is more important than the good of soceity, the good of the team, or even the good of Truth do not also agree. the ushering in of the self-esteem (and then p.c.) movement was the ushering out of integrty, honesty, and sincerity. ugh
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