Part 2: I Don't Need You (or "How to Screw Up Your Kid")

I Don't Need You (or "How to Screw Up Your Kid")

Part two in a series of things I learned at http://landmarkeducation.com. I learned that I've been living my life like "I don't need you". I've been very capable and independent and didn't have very deep relationships...

A few days after I learned to have fun with Steven. I was sitting the basement working on the computer at 7am again and Steven came down. He said, "Hi Dad". I immediately turned around and had a little fun with him. Later, I was upstairs talking to my wife and Steven was sitting next to her. I was telling her that I learned in my weekend that I have spent my life living like "I don't need you". We talked for a while and
I said to my wife, "I was living like I don't need you... I don't need him...".
Steven stopped me and said, "but you love me, right Dad?".
I said "Of couse I love you, Steven. Mom and I were just talking about something else, not you".

I realized I almost messed up my son at that moment. He could have taken that in and not said anything and carried it around for the next 40 years... In this moment I learned that what we say is very powerful. We create things with our words.