How effectively we manage our careers and surrounding lives will determine not only the quality of our lives but, also, what opportunity (outside of transferring wealth) we give our children to succeed in and enjoy their lives. In reality, life is a seamless continuum where a family’s lifestyle inexorably shapes each following generation’s family lifestyle – far more stealthfully than we realize, or are often willing to admit.

…too few parents understand that their role model responsibilities extend throughout every waking hour of every living day…

The imperative lesson to note here is that our children learn more from what they see their parents doing on a daily 24/7 basis than from being told by their parents from time to time what to do in life. This, of course, re-brands the parents’ historic retort, “Do what I say and not what I do” as pure hypocrisy. The reality of the situation is that too few parents understand that their role model responsibilities extend throughout every waking hour of every living day. Yes, parents generally preach the obvious intangibles of be good, avoid evil, be honest and take care of your fellow man, etc. to their children. However, this is the equivalent to seeing the tip of an iceberg relative to identifying with the full spectrum of parental role model responsibility.

What lies below the surface is a mass of infrequently considered parental role model focal points; for example – following is a sampling of the parental behavior elements our children inherently react to (positively and negatively) in their daily lives that parents often fail to see in themselves:

…resolve to perfect your role model living patterns a little each day because this is the most effective and rewarding ‘home schooling’ available to your children…

To what degree our children constructively emulate the above listed parental behavior patterns will to a large degree determine the ultimate quality of their lives. Because it is New Year’s resolution time of the year, resolve to perfect your role model living patterns a little each day because this is the most effective and rewarding “home schooling” available to your children.