In my opinion, based on my own personal experience, kidsfunction best when they’re real clear about exactly what’s expected of them in any given situation or under any particular set of circumstances. Every year since he first began school, in the day or twoprior to the beginning of each new school year, I’ve sat down with my son, who’s now ten years old, to “lay down thelaw”, so to speak, about exactly what I expected of him in school and to issue him his “marching orders” for the upcoming school year. This year won’t be any exception. Although my expectations for him haven’t changed over the last several years, with anew school year about to begin, I’ve been thinking aboutthem again in preparation for our annual talk together andthought I’d take a few moments to share them with you.
Here they are:
Expectation #1 - I expect him to behave himself and treatothers as he’d like to be treated. The first and single, most important thing I expect of himin school is to be polite, mind his manners, and treatothers as he’d like to be treated. All three elements of this expectation are very closelyrelated and because he understands *why* they’re important,he has no trouble whatsoever living up to them. Here’s why… One summer day, shortly before he started school, we weredriving somewhere (probably a toy store :-)), when,seemingly out of nowhere, he asked me what I knew about this”God thing”, as he phrased it. As simply as I could put it, I shared with him my personalbelief… Essentially… That One is All and All is One. That one IntelligentSubstance manifests itself as what appears to be manyelements of the material world. Simply put… We’re all made from the same Stuff, a Thinking Stuff. After I finished my simplified explanation of this concept,he sat there quietly for a moment or two, staring out thecar window, then he looked at me and said… “Daddy, that makes sense!” And, with “ah-ha” written all over his face, he added… “So that’s why you’re always telling me to love my neighboras myself and to treat other people the way I want to betreated, because we’re all one, right Daddy?” At age five… He got it! 
Expectation #2 - I expect him to do his best. Unlike many, if not most, parents and teachers, I could careless what his grades in school are… Really! You should see the look on people’s faces, especially histeachers, when I tell them this. So, what do I expect? Simple… I expect him to put everything he’s got into everything hedoes and do the best work he can possibly do. Throughout his writings, Wallace D. Wattles, best known forhis classic masterpiece “The Science of Getting Rich”,repeatedly stresses the importance of doing all you can doeach day and doing each separate act in the most perfectmanner possible. That’s *exactly* what I expect of him! If, every single day, he does *all* he can do that day andif, every single day, he does each separate thing he does inschool in the most *perfect* manner possible, with thepurpose of learning… And that, in the opinion of his teachers and/or the schoolsystem, earns him an “A”… Great! If it earns him a “B”… Great! If it earns him a “C”… Great! If it earns him a “D”… Great! If it earns him an “F”… Great… I really don’t care! Why? Because doing everything you can do each day and doing eachseparate thing you do in the most perfect manner possiblewith a purpose is the secret to success in anything and ifhe just learns this one lesson and applies it, he’ll besuccessful in life regardless of what his grades in schoolare.
Expectation #3 - I expect him to have fun. Life is meant to be fun, not a bore, and I expect him tohave fun in school. Now… Please understand… I don’t expect him to be the “class clown” or a “wise guy”. However… I do expect him to look for ways to make his “work” fun. If he learns how to make his “work” fun, he’ll never have to”work” a day in his entire life. Well… There you have them… My ten-year-old’s “marching orders” for the upcoming schoolyear. In prior school years, because he’s been very clear aboutexactly what I expected of him in school and because he’sbeen very clear about exactly why I expected those things ofhim, he’s never failed to live up to my expectations andmake me very proud of him… I don’t expect this school year to be any different. —–
Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D.Wattles and the publisher of the “A Powerful Life: The LostWritings of Wallace D. Wattles” ebook by Wallace D.Wattles…
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“A Powerful Life: The Lost Writings of Wallace D. Wattles”"How to Get What You Want” by Wallace D. Wattles togetherwith twenty-four other rare books and articles written byWallace D. Wattles.Click Here => http://www.wallacedwattles.com
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