Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Steering Wheel as Metaphor...


Damn I'm afraid my dad will read this but here goes.....he was right about the steering wheel....actually let me amend that. He was right without knowing he was right.

Back when he taught me how to drive 25 years ago he used to talk about steering. "A good driver will never jerk the wheel back and forth. You make minute adjustments...subtle with the steering wheel...so you don't have to make major adjustments when your car is going off the road."

Obviously he was talking automobiles but instinctively I took that as a metaphor for life....and that has become especially true as a parent. Let your kids go too far; with junk food or TV or any other bad habit, and you'll be yanking the steering wheel back towards center in a month's time. Or worse, you'll be sitting there a year later with their bad habits so ingrained that you've got little shot to alter them anymore. Then you're really stuck.

Stay on top of your kids every day -- and I don't mean be an overbearing nutjob 24/7, and their "car" will likely stay close to the middle of the road where you want it....so far this metaphor has paid dividends with our two children, so I guess a quick "Thanks dad" is in order....damn that's not easy to admit....

4 comments:

  1. You are correct. It's better to make small changes while you still can than suffer trying to fix major problems when it's too late. Your comparison is perfect!

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  2. I have to thank my dad........grudgingly of course!

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