My Father Always Said...

One of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompts was to share a lesson you learned from your Father that still sticks with you to this day.


As soon as I saw this I knew exactly what to post. My father used to always quote one particular poem. One year he gave me and siblings picture frames that contained the poem. I kept it on my dresser for years reading it repeatedly, and now I have it displayed in my home. 

He told me this combined with one other quote... "Everything's Negotiable." 

His words had a great impact on my life. I learned to expect the most out of myself. I expect the most out of jobs. I expect the most out of people. But I think the biggest example of it's impact is with my daughters. 

I set the bar high for my daughters. I expect them to work hard, to be obedient, and for them to be self-controlled. They have always exceeded my expectations. Of course, if they don't meet the bar I am still proud of them. I think as a society we lower the bar too often. 

He also has helped me out of so many situations. I realize more and more that not "everything is negotiable", but if you treat others with love and respect then many more things are. For example, if a student that turns in all their assignments on time, pays attention in class, and treats the teacher with respect would have an issue turning in an assignment, that student would be given more grace than a student who didn't turn in assignments on time, were distracted in class, and were rude to the teacher. Often it is about communicating your needs and expectations to others.