5 Ways To Have Your Kid Win The Lottery

If you could have your kids win the lottery, would you?

 

Every quarter I show the video of Randy Pausch to the class I teach about professional success. Randy Pausch was a college professor who died of pancreatic cancer several years ago. But his unbeatable optimism and enthusiasm for life was chronicled in a speech he gave. It went viral on YouTube, millions watched it, and his speech was released in a book that became a best seller. (Click here to view the speech on YouTube.)Every time I watch Pausch’s speech, I’m struck by a quote of his. In talking about his childhood with his mom and dad, Pausch says, “I won the parent lottery”.

It made me think. We can’t ensure our kids win the actual, big bucks lottery, but we can increase their odds of winning the parent lottery. We can try to be really great parents. On some occasions, this comes naturally. On many, it doesn’t. Luckily, there are 5 actions that will increase your odds of going down in the parenting book of champions.

1.     Don’t reinvent the wheel. Read the books. Attend the lectures. It will be the best money you ever spent, if only because you will be surrounded by an entire auditorium of parents whose 2 year olds are just as cranky as yours. It’s so nice to know you’re not alone and other well-spoken, seemingly normal people are being driven positively batty by their offspring.

2.    Talk to other parents, the ones who seem grounded, whose kids are just a little older than yours, but they actually say “please” and “thank you”. There is much wisdom these parents have to share, if only you ask. “What worked for you guys?” are 5 words that will bring magical results.

3.    Find a discipline program that works for your little crew. “Love & Logic” was positively life-changing for us here at chez guru girl. My friend Alix jokes that “Screaming & Guilt Trips” work for her team. There are lots of programs out there to explore.

4.     Then -- the tough part -- administer the discipline program. Buy the sticker rewards charts and the prizes from Target’s $1 bin. It doesn’t matter which program you use, but use one. Don’t half-ass the discipline thing. The goal is not about you surviving the next few years. The goal is to raise little people into being the sort of big people you’d actually want to hang out with.

5.    Hang in there. Keep at it. Even when you want to sell your offspring to gypsies. Especially when you want to sell them to gypsies. It’s just a phase. It will get better.

Patience, perseverance, resilience, attitude, work ethic. All of these traits are really important for kids to learn. They’ll learn them because you’ll teach them. Over and over and over again.  

Does doing all this stuff mean you won’t screw up?

No.

Does it mean you’re at least in the game?

Yes.

By doing this, and the million & one other things you do on a regular basis, you’re ensuring that your kids are at least contestants in the lottery. It’s not as fun as Powerball, but it’s infinitely more meaningful… at least that’s what they tell me.