Shut Up Children Are Talking

Recently, my son named me the CEO of his newest venture and called a business meeting with me.

He has been watching a lot of Shark Tank lately. He is a very insightful, interesting, and creative young man. He’s been very encouraging and a generator of ideas for me as I have been opening my business this year. So beyond just being my child, I was really interested in what he had to say and what I could learn from it.

In the meeting I asked him three very important questions. But the result was actually to get me to shut up, not interject too much, listen to him without feeling the need to redirect, and focus on the joy of the moment to understand how he was seeing the world.

This is probably the coolest experience of the year with him and for me personally. Helped me improve my dading and hopefully relationships with others as well.

I’ve long known that I struggle to hear and listen to others (not out of disinterest but bad learned behavior). So next time I “take a meeting” I will tell myself (respectfully) “Shut Up Children are Talking.” Meaning everything can be new and different, and from a fresh perspective, and a little fragile if you let it; just need to be willing to let it happen.

Once again, something that has come from being a parent has, I think, helped me just be a better human and version of myself.