Welcome to a New Year. I’ve made the same resolution this year that I’ve made for the past 20 or so New Years, and that is to not make any resolutions. Cliché I know, but taking the easy way out on this just seems, well, cliché.

Have We Ruined it for Our Kids?  

I have been so blessed, I can hardly believe where I am today. I had no idea when I was younger what was out there, and what was possible. There is a stable life possible even in 2017. I won’t say the same for my kids. Oh, they do alright and all, but what are they looking forward to? Have we ruined it for them? Everyone got a trophy, and I was partially responsible. I had no idea we were wussifying a whole generation. It’s the generation that never heard NO.

The thought really scares me of what my kids are thought of. We did stay close to them, probably because my parents did not stay particularly close to me when I was young. I made it my goal in life to ensure my kids didn’t have to deal with my perceptions of shortfalls in my formidable years. It’s a good thing I couldn’t give them everything, because I would’ve. What I could give them was my time, and even that was in short supply. My wife worked in the home, and raised them from a young age. We are very blessed to be able to do that, all be it a struggle. She left a paying job, for a rewarding job.

It's Ok to Say No.

Through the years we provided what could be considered, in my mind, above the average of what was needed. Bikes, cars, video games, computers, financial and moral support when they went to college. They did hear NO a few times though, and I hope that makes a difference in them from others we read in the news and hear about. I can remember knowing everything. I am so much dumber in a smarter way today.

I can take it all in stride today. I have a couple of bucks saved. I have a home, and a paid for car. I still don’t give the kids everything they need, and they’ve come to appreciate that. They are in the throws of adulthood now, and have admitted how easy I make it look. Do I have any regrets, nope, and if I do, I can just suppress those awful feelings by giving the grand kids EVERYTHING they want!

~Steve Grover
VP, Development