The Things We Pass On to Our Kids | Bill High
By Bill High
It’s funny the things we pass on to our kids.
As I write, I’m sitting here in the airport waiting for my next flight. A young couple stride purposefully toward their own gate. They wear Georgia Bulldogs gear proudly. Ironic, I think, knowing that Georgia just lost to Alabama. And I think of Auburn Brad; he seems to wear Auburn’s colors no matter where he goes. Or the diehard family watching Alabama games.
These are family ties. I think of my own family. My dad hated Fords. He always voted Chevy. I teach that to my kids as well. I was at the University of Kansas when they won a national championship in basketball. My kids watch KU basketball.
I suspect there might be some other oddities that get passed along, too. Perhaps my kids will say, “Do you remember how Dad always…”
But I’m challenged by these thoughts. Funny how we can pass along things like college football loyalty, but how much better if my kids say, “Wow, Dad taught us to love really well!” Or what it is like to live with integrity, even when it’s hard. To live with courage when the world seems to be running the other way.
What if they said, “Our family always lives with passion and joy!” It’s a hallmark. And in the same breath they could always say, “We don’t shrink back!”
Those are values worth teaching. They take time and effort, but I think these values are the best “shirts” you could ever wear.
What are the values that you would most want the next generations to embrace as their own?
Bill High is CEO of The Signatry: A Global Christian Foundation. He works with families, individual givers, and financial advisers to share the foundation’s message regarding biblical generosity and charitable giving. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.