Influences

Can a parent influence a child? Or in the days of Chairman O and Al Gore is it only the certain few that are privileged enough to influence my children?

According to Ally boy there the "older folk" don't get it... Wait, he's on the verge of turning 62 (31 March 1948), that makes him 11 years older then my Dad. Which, you know, I didn't even think was possible!

"There are some things out there that you know that older people don't know." ~Ally boy Gore (see link above). Erm... Since I'm literally half his age (31) then I'm obviously much more knowledgeable about life and things then he. Huh.

So, the question is, can I influence my kids? Or is that just a pipe dream and I should resign myself to a life where the progressives teach my kids for me till my kids can begin teaching me. At 12, apparently. Well, I will look to my own life and see how much we can glean from my experiences to show pattern and n=1 and all that shtuff...

Ahem.

Released in 1976 (3 years before I was born) my favorite song was released to the world.

Boston, More Than A Feeling


Alright, fine I love a song made before I was born, lots of people love the Beatles, what's my point?

The point isn't that I love this 'cause Dad loves it, but that he exposed me to this music and I decided that I love it. It instantly takes me back to balmy summer days, the windows of the truck rolled down, Dad and I on a drive to the mall or someplace else random. It also makes me think of the garage, on same summer days, tools in hand helping to change the oil on said truck.

Rush Limbaugh does the same, 'cause I'm a Rush baby. I grew up hearing Rush talk, taking in his message, often a message countering the things I heard at school. As I'm sure you've gathered, I'm not a Liberal even though I gained my education in the vaulted state of California. I actually understand the concept of fiscal responsibility!

But it is also damned good music that I now seek out on my own.

I'll be honest that I'm mostly talking about Dad here, cause, well, it's his blog and it lets me put up better music then if I talk about Mom. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Kansas, but that's a rockin' as it gets!

My point is that while the left can try to wrest control of our children away from us if we are active in our children's life they can't win. I already tell my children to do their homework and make an educated decision. No one can tell them what to believe, we can only show them paths and give them experiences. Dad never told me I had to believe Rush, and I certainly had the counter views at school. I got to listen and make my own choices. Now here I am, listening to Boston, reading Glenn Beck, working on my History degree, and explaining why I believe our nations tipping point came not with Teddy or Franklin Roosevelt but with Abraham Lincoln. And, yes, I can explain why I think ol' Abe ruined the country, if you really want to know.

The greatest lesson my folks provided was the lesson of learning, of thinking, of deciding for one's self. There are many places where Mom, Dad and I don't agree, but that's what makes it fun. 'Cause we can actually talk about it with respect and the knowledge that both sides come from a place of learning, not of self righteous derision.

And that is the greatest gift they gave me, and the greatest gift I can pass to my children.

Alright then, we proved an n=1 relationship with Boston and conservative values. Go, spread the word!

The DO