A Father’s
Smile
Hundreds of books have been written
about the proper way to raise children. There’s
the need for consistent discipline, attendance at every soccer game, quantities
of organic vegetables and the eradication of all sweets. It’s hard to be a
parent and meet all the criteria. Parenthood
is a minefield of missed chances and blind hope. On top of that we experiment with each and every child.
Last Sunday I attended my
granddaughters’ piano recital. Five year
old Emilia played a careful performance of
Jumping Frogs while nine year old Olivia executed a rousing rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In. At
the completion of their performances, the girls looked back at their Dad whose
eyes glowed with pride and delight, whose smile was warm with love and admiration.
They fairly beamed in response.
It struck me that one glorious, loving smile could
do much to assure the future success and happiness of a child…certainly more
than completing that tedious algebra assignment or finishing that last bite of
yucky spinach.
