Influence: How my 6 year old made me proud...again!

I'm a planner. I like lists of things to do, putting them into time blocks and checking things off when done. That's how my brain functions best, with a plan of action laid out where I can see it.

It's not surprising that I love having dry erase boards and filling them up with ideas, motivations, tasks. I like to plan ahead so one of the boards has a "to do" section and a "Next week" section. What gets planned, gets put into place (and sometimes procrastinated...but that's another article!)

My oldest daughter is 6 now and ever since she first picked up a crayon she's liked to draw on things. You know paper, walls, her face (we've gotten her to stop the last two). I work from a home office and when she'd come to visit she would draw on her own dry erase board I put up at kid level.

Now that she can read and write (I don't remember being able to do that at 6 years old, kids today!) instead of drawing pictures she's writing things on it.

She's planning things to do, not just for today but for next week too! She's been wanting to go to Crayola Experience here in Orlando for a while, I guess this is a hint for me! I do like the way she added "celebrate Fred's birthday" and not "dad's birthday" Much more business like.

I sometimes forget that at this age she's a sponge for learning and that everything I do can and will influence how she behaves, how she acts and who she will become. No pressure!

I like to thing that my wife and I are doing a good job but sometimes its hard to tell who's having a bigger influence on her life; us or the world around her.

But when moments like this happen I get a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart knowing that she's on the right track to success. Or I'm setting her up for a lifetime of OCD list making and an addiction to the smell of dry erase markers.

I like to think it's the former.

-Fred Moore

Keynote Speaker, Corporate Comedy Magician & Bald-Guy

www.FredMooreSpeaker.com          www.MooreFred.com