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Congratulations! I have a similar experience, also two sons. I set out, explicitly, even before I met my wife, to raise better people than I am. Never, ever lied to them, treated them as if they were older and more mature than their ages. If you knew all three of us, you would easily see that I succeeded. They are my closest friends and being a father became the most satisfying thing in my life. I know exactly what you are describing. We are both lucky, although most of the time I think that we earned it.
Even though I read Rand from my teens forward I didn't consider myself an Objectivist until I met a psychologist friend of Branden and took the Basic Principles course. As to lying, I discovered that the truth was better, even though it could be painful. When oldest son at around age 8 needed allergy shots. The nurse & doctor told him that it's no worse than a mosquito bite. I took him aside and told him that he's going to get a painful needle, which will cause his arm to swell and then itch like hell. But I also told him that he was a tough guy and could handle it. Not even a whimper. He showed it off like a badge of honor. I'm happy for you and your sons. It is one of the great satisfactions in life. Especially since my son has recently become a grandpa himself. 4th generation? We'll see.
P.S. Take it easy on the turkey. Will it be fried or baked?
All the best.
Sincerely,
Maritimus
We gave up doing the turkey at home thing years ago. Now, we go to our favorite Thanksgiving restaurant which puts on a wonderful dinner with more than all the trimmings. It's a roadhouse style place that we have christened "Tommy's Turkey Tavern."
Enjoy the turkey and the trimmings.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have not taught them to be all about wealth building, but my 6 y/o has a natural tendency to save, invest, and work. He likes opportunities to rake and shovel. My 4 y/o is young yet for that. My 6 y/o spontaneously mentioned going by Target that their managers are probably using his money to buy toys and if they pick toys kids like he'll make money. That's amazing. A lot of the time, though, they act like total morons. I can't believe they're going to be driving cars in a few years.
When they were babies I questioned if the things we were doing would pay off. So far, at this early stage, they appear to.
I agree that as parents we really can't (or shouldn't) take credit for our children's success. And for any parent I think we all know that we don't get through our kid's adolescence without a lot of luck.
When reality and reason are abandoned while parenting, adulthood is delayed and sometimes never achieved.
The goal is to create well-adjusted adults who achieve happiness...whatever their productive goals are.