As you can imagine, Nana has been spending time with the newest addition. London Paige at 17 days old is making an impact on everyone. She is reminding me of why I went into education and learning in the first place. She is reminding all of us in the Samples clan of the potential for life, love, success, and future. It’s quite a noteworthy piece for a little bit of a person to do. I wonder if she has any idea what kind of an impact her entry into the world brought?

So for those expecting to be parents or grandparents in the near future, or to those of you who already are, here are a few things to ponder:

Do you tell your child you love them-every day?
Are you reminding them of what a wonderful, perfect person they are?
Do you listen when they talk?
Are you interested in what they do (even when you’re not)?

I have four children and I couldn’t have answered yes to all those questions. I worked, shopped, cleaned, drove, did dishes, worked more, and occasionally slept during those growing up years. I could tell you I did all of those things with a great deal of style and panache. My kids grew up with an understanding of the importance of working, shopping, cleaning, driving, doing dishes, and, did I mention, working. I’m grateful they did.

Now, though, I have an opportunity to focus on answers to those other questions. I now believe that if I could answer those questions to my satisfaction that the working, shopping, cleaning, driving, dishes and more working issues would all take care of themselves quite nicely.