In our house, we talk a lot about the importance of leadership, building character, integrity and hard work (I suspect we’re not alone in this). My husband and I try to model that behavior, but we are fully aware that our words—and even actions—sometimes don’t have much impact on our children until they are reiterated by an outsider. Yes, for some reason the same words that their Mom and Dad have said over and over have much more impact when they come from someone else, someone they trust.
My husband Brad is an assistant lacrosse coach on my ten year-old son Gavin’s team. Last year he came home from their first practice and he shared with me the four traits that their TERRIFIC head coach told the kids he values above all else. Brad came home and said, “Col, you are going to love this”, and he shared the list with me. As expected, he got an AMEN in my book!!
The four traits in order of importance:
- Hustle – Always give 110%
- Leadership – Take initiative
- Toughness – Physical and mental
- Talent – Important, but not the most important
He emphasized to the boys that God-given talents matter, but the areas we can control are more important. One of the coaches on Gavin’s soccer team taught them a similar idea. Their mantra is “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”. I think these messages are terrific, and I use them to motivate myself at times.
I am grateful my children have others who are willing to guide, teach and hold them accountable (particularly since they don’t always listen to me). I know that these coaches, teachers, etc. are making a positive impact on my children and encouraging them to be their “best selves”, and for that I am grateful. I am also aware that we all have the opportunity to influence and shape others, so it is important that we do our part as well. What do you think?
I’ve written a previous blog post about how it really does take a village to raise kids, and even touched on the lacrosse points there.
