When I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York, the one thing I never saw my parents do was make mistakes. It seemed that all of their decisions were perfect and always correct. It was not until I grew up and had my own kids, that I realized being perfect was not a requirement for being a positive parent.

During those years I can remember our family running like a well oiled machine. Every part was operating at peak performance. There were no misfires in that group.  When I became older I found out things were far from perfect.  My dad told that me at different times while we were young he had two jobs that he would work one after the other. There was even a point of time when he couldn’t find any work at all. Despite it all, in our minds (my sister, brother and myself) there wasn’t a day that went by when we did not have all that we needed. We had plenty of food to eat, clothes to wear and a place to sleep. We were not under the pressure of today’s kids. We didn’t have to worry about the latest sneakers or having the top video games to play. Those things didn’t exist in those times and even if they did I doubt if my parents would have succumbed to that pressure. Looking at this with adult eyes, I can understand that they were very concerned with making sure that we had the things we needed.

In this present time, I see myself doing what they were doing, making sure that my group runs as efficiently as possible. Things today are a great deal more expensive than they were then. I can remember clearly going to the supermarket 10-15 years ago and spending $60 and have a shopping cart full of food. Now that same money may yield me only a couple of shopping bags.

Looking back at my childhood, I can really appreciate the pressures my parents were under.  The decisions that they made were not made with perfection in mind. They were made with the idea that the important thing was for that group to survive and move on to the next level, whatever that level was.

As I get older, I am beginning to understand that the mistakes I have made and will continue to make are all part of the growing process. One thing is for sure, positive parenting does not need to be perfect. It does require that I work as hard as I can to be the best person I can be.

I LOVE BEING A DAD!!