Six Life Lessons from your Dad: How to choose your Friends and be a Good Friend Yourself
By Rod Zimmerman, A Mizzou Dad
Many parents joke about magically sending their knowledge at age 40, 45, 50, etc. back in time to themselves, when they were in college. Here is the story of one Mizzou father who tried to do something close, summarizing his life experience in a letter to his own two kids on August 24, 2008, the night before the start of their fall semester in Columbia.
The project started seven months earlier when his youngest kid, while still a high school senior, was accepted by Mizzou. His eldest kid was already enrolled at Mizzou as a Biochemistry major. Back at home, in the course of the father attending a surprise 50th birthday party for one of his childhood friends and anticipating his own, upcoming 50th birthday, he reflected upon what he had learned over the years from his own friends, teachers, bosses, co-workers, and mentors. He wondered if and how he might help his kids avoid some of his own painful failures and achieve their own successes. Over the next months, he took notes about these lessons and boiled them down in an email to the kids.
The kids enjoyed the letter and believed it to have potential for helping other people besides themselves. So as their father pushed them to earn good grades, they challenged him to get the letter published. Well, Dad won the challenge as "Parenting Teens Network" published it in their December 2008 edition.
The publication of the letter, including reprints and a radio interview has led to worldwide correspondence to the father, including stories of people making peace within their families and finding the courage to end abusive relationships.
We hope that you enjoy reading Six Life Lessons from your Dad, by Rod Zimmerman.