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Before You Allow Fear To Dictate Your Parenting, Think Of My Story
I now understand how fear can be detrimental to a child’s success and progress even in old age.
“Dad, I want to go to the military. I passed the ASVAB with flying colors!” I grin and hold up my score for my father who looks wary at my paper. Truthfully, I did not want to go to the military, but it was a viable option for me since I wanted to become a success.
“Do you understand what hell you will be put through!? The bootcamp?” My father stands up slowly and grabs a broom from the side wall of the kitchen. He places it in both hands and does pushups with the broom on his hands.
“Pretend this is the gun, Erica. You have it on your knuckles and have to exercise. You don’t like exercise.”
“But…I was fitness queen last ye-”
“This is different!” he yelled. I felt my first tear pop out behind my eye. I was now crying as I watched dad go through different exercises in a blur while he yelled at me. It was like watching some demon in a work suit torturing me with yelling for over an hour.
That was in 2001. yes, eons ago.
But that day, I had to make a decision.
