Justin R. Lester tells parents to keep their own ambitions alive while raising kids. He says parenting is a marathon, not a sprint, and warns against pushing children into the life you wanted for yourself. Ask for help, stay emotionally present, and keep growing.
Chapters
I'm so glad you guys are tuned in with us as we continue our journey on what it means to own our ambition. This month so far. This month, we talked about clarity in terms of what ambition is and setting smart goals. Then we talked about what it means to own your ambition as an educator. Then what it means to own your ambition as a student. Today we're going to dive into what it means to own your ambition this school year as a parent. Parents, you aren't forgotten in the journey. And. And we got your back. Welcome to Made for Mondays. You own your Mondays. Mondays don't own you. Let's talk today. As we jump into our conversation today about owning your ambition as parents, maybe those of you today you are going today and you're dropping your kid off at school. You're rushing to work, and you've been going through so many different transitions and you're navigating through how to for you to stay empowered. You're worried about their friendships, their social life. Are they going to be successful this year? Maybe your child has gone off to college and you're navigating through what it means to not have them in your home anymore. To empower your child to try now to foster a home of love and learning and your own growth. Listen, as you are watching your child grow, I don't want you to forget yourself. I don't want you to forget what it means to be the parent that God has graced you with great seed, to be the person and be the parent that you need to be. And so let's jump into our time today. Parenting is an obstacle course like no other. The moment you think you figured one thing out, your child's like, oop, I've learned something new. Whether it's going all the way back to birth, and it was diaper changes and sleepless nights and then the eternal quest of finding toys. Like, honestly, where in the world do these toys go to? And how does one Lego always seem to end up on the one place when the one time you're super tired in the most random place in your bathroom and there's navigating. Now they like somebody and now they got dates. And then there's extracurricular activities. And now there's superstar soccer players one week and superstar football players the next week and then ballerinas a third week and all over. But fear not, brave parents, that's what Made for Monday is here for you. I want to challenge you and empower you and remind you about what it means to overcome obstacles, to embrace Your ambition. And by embracing your ambition, you play an active role in your child's education. See, obstacles are a part of our lives and they're what make us stronger and more resilient. So remember these obstacles. They teach you how to achieve all of your goals. You've achieved so much just to be where you are right now. I want you to consider everything you've done as a parent to get to this place right now. Everything you've done as a professional, a stay at home person, whatever that is for you. You have overcome so much and this school year is no different. You will be able to make sure that every single extracurricular, every single game, every single event, every single fair, every single opportunity comes your way. You can win. Why? Because you are persistent. Parenthood, thus far in your life has been a marathon. And parenthood has never been a sprint. Don't give up on your goals and dreams even as you're awakening the ones inside of your children. When the going gets tough, when the grades don't match what your expectations. I want you watch this. To destroy your last dream for your children so you can do two things. One, you can live into the dreams that you have for yourself and you can watch your child live into the dreams they have for themselves. One of the most restricting things that we can possibly do as parents is to force our children into the box that they'll never be able to live up to. Your children will never be what you weren't or your children will never be you. So forgive yourself for that and remove that space in your mind so that you can rejoice that your child is becoming your child while your child rejoices that you becoming you. And I know, I know all of us, we're human. We're going to make mistakes. And as a parent, there's a lot of them. I mean, cue the laundry disaster. Cue the questionable macaroni sculpture. Cue the lava. The lava volcano thing that never actually produced any lava. Cue the LEGO structure that didn't look like what the box said. Why did you have so many leftover pieces? We make mistakes. Cue the drop. Cue the showing up to practice late. Cue the forgetting. Practice all at once. Cue the I don't know what to do on the math tests. Q. I don't know what to do on that homework because I don't remember trig. But here's what we do. We don't make the same mistake twice. We learn from it. We grow in it. We embrace the journey. And here's growth. You inform your child of your own growth. Why is it that we as leaders can lead with vulnerability with people we don't know and don't have intimacy with, but won't lead with vulnerability with our own children? So that's where the last principle for me comes in on asking for help. Don't be afraid to reach out and seek support from other people, whether that's your friends or your family. Parenting, truth be told, is a team sport. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to navigate through whole foods with a toddler. So as you go into the unpredictable world of learning this year and the unpredictable world of parenting, remember these wise words of proverbs. Train up a child in the way they should go. Pause because they're gonna go. And when they're old, they won't depart from what you train them. So stay positive, stay persistent, learn from your mistakes, and ask for help when needed. Consider the words of Brene Brown. Brene Brown, one of my favorite writers. Brene Brown talked about in her Gift the book the Gift of Impermanent Parenting. Brene Brown embraces this truth. We don't have to be perfect parents. Be emotionally present. Be vulnerable. Learn from your mistakes and realize you're a coach. You're having impact. Even if your child doesn't tell you, I want you to own yourself. Don't lose yourself in the process. Don't lose yourself in what you're becoming and run into the future as your child runs into theirs. Keep your ambition burning bright. Remember, you are still a superhero in your child's eyes, even if sometimes it feels like your cape was left at home. Stay awesome and I can't wait to see you next week. Let's say our affirmation before we go. Someone say, I am me. I can be me. And no one's going to stop me from being me. You were made for this. Now go. Own your Mondays. Mondays don't own you. You own your Mondays. Now run and see what's possible for.
