Good parenting

Lately, my favorite thing to do at night, after everyone is asleep, is watch episodes of “Inside the Actors Studio” on YouTube, on my phone in bed. Its great fun. The actors get interviewed by James Lipton, in front of an audience of actor students. I just love hearing the stories of how these actors began their journey, and what they’ve learned.

I was watching the interview with John Trovolta, and loved what he said about his parents. His parents worshipped the ground he and his other siblings walked on. They made their kids feel like they were amazing. John would be taking out the trash, and his Mom would say to his Dad, “Look, isn’t he a borderline genius?” John would ‘perform’ for hours, lip-syncing to the radio, and his parents would sit in their chairs, watching and applauding, giving great accolades of praise.

John said that he had such confidence in himself from his parents, and it couldn’t be shaken. At his first audition for an acting job, the people told him that he had no future in show business. To which John thought, “ I walked away thinking they were absolutely nuts. I thought, ‘what a silly bunch of people’.” To which James Lipton commented, “That’s good parenting.”

I loved that. I thought about how I could be more to my sweet boys, and help them realize that they are awesome, each and every day. This week, Ethan was using the bathroom, and then decided to do a thorough job of cleaning the toilet. Why he wanted to do it naked is another story, but he was having a great time just scrubbing away with the toilet wand. (This kid loves to be naked, especially outside in the backyard. I just laugh, and try to remember these funny chapters.)

Anyways, I told him how amazing the toilet looked, that its never been so clean, and that he did a great job. I want my boys  to have that confidence in themselves that John had. Kids look so much to the parents for approval and love. They are so tender, and are just trying to learn how to be good, and enjoy this life. I hope I can stress less about dumb stuff, open my eyes more, and see the full picture. To see how wonderful these little souls are, and that they are here on earth to do great things.