4-2-10 Should Told Me #9

I keep up with my friends and family on Facebook. Specifically, I keep up with my younger family members on Facebook. Have to admit that it is a wonderful tool to see what is going on in their world. Some of the comments I see there got me to thinking about parents. And that sent me down the “someone shoulda told me” bunny trail again.

Now this post isn’t strictly for the executive, although you could extrapolate this information to an executive’s situation. Instead, this is geared towards the younger, non-executive readers out there.

Remember when you were very young? Say, age 12 and under? During that time of your life, it is likely that your parents were the most amazing people in the world. They knew everything. You could go to them with any question or problem and get just the right answer or solution.

And then, you hit the teenage years. During that time your parents were, at best, a source of embarrassment and at worst, the bane of your life. You went to great lengths to conceal every aspect of your life from them because, really, they couldn’t possibly understand what you were going through. Questions and problems were solved by consulting with friends and the internet. Parents and home was just something that you desperately wanted to get away from.

And then you hit about 25 or so. You find that you are going back to your parents more and more for information and support. They are (and have always been) your biggest cheerleaders. They become (once again) a reliable source of information. They are the best mentors available.

Someone shoulda told me, way back then, that my parents weren’t as dumb or irrelevant as I thought they were.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Cheers!