20. Be a Model of Honesty

"If you want to become a wise parent
you must be prepared to appear foolish.
You must be willing to say,
'Why should I chase this way and that,
always grasping,
always running?
Nuts!'
Unless you stop following the crowd,
how can your children be free?

To teach your children strength
you must be willing to appear weak.
You must renounce ambition and struggle
and embrace serenity and peace.
You must confess your faults
and embrace your failures.
You must face yourself with honesty
and find the truth of your nature.

Your children need a model of honesty.
If you pretend you have no weaknesses,
and cover them under masks and facades,
your children will learn to do the same,
and the game will be on.
Begin today to see,
and accept,
the real you beneath the role."

I can never do anything less than what I think is right. I realize that I may not always know in any given moment what that is, but if I'm transparent about my process then my daughter will learn how to arrive at her own convictions. In the moments when I falter, may I forgive myself, and teach her how to forgive. In the moments when I doubt, may I open myself to deeper certainty. I am willing always to do and say everything for the deepest, truest purpose I know.