Wisdom for my son and daughter – Jonny Oates
Jonny Oates captures his parental words into something of value for his children as he wants them to remember his words and through those, himself
Introduction
Being a parent is difficult, especially in these modern times when the information tends to overflow children through television, the internet, the newspapers and social media. As difficult as it is for adults to digest everything, we can only imagine how children feel seeing these things. That is why the author felt the need to write his advice down.
Storyline
Let me first say that I find it touching to see a parent trying to let his advice, his words of love, encouragement and warning last. Most children do not take in their parents’ warnings at the first time (and second, and third) and it seems logical that you would want your kids to benefit from the things you have learned in your lifetime. The advice in the book is sound, he tells you to be self-confident, to not hurt others, to believe what you want to believe in. To educate yourself, to be able to form opinions and to understand certain mechanisms of life. To not be a bully, to be kind and giving, whenever you can. To beware of alcohol, of drugs, of violence and to know what it is that drives us, humans, what defines our actions. The most important lesson according to the author is “Life is a balancing act.”
My Thoughts
As well-meant as the intentions in this book are, for me, the amount of advice and warnings, of what to learn and master, is simply too much. Moreover, the ‘do as I say and not as I do’ advice is something I, as a parent, believe to be wrong as our words as parents are useless when not followed by the right behaviour, the example we set. For me, the main shortcoming of this book lies in the fact that Jonny Oates tries to cover everything. I feel it would have livened the book up and made it more personal if he took his children as well as us, the readers, by the hand by making a selection of the advice and combining it with anecdotes from his own life and experience; the result would be a touching and humorous book, a legacy for his children. Let me finish with the author’s last words of advice: “Be kind and smile.”
About the Author
Jonny Oates is an Australian author who grew up in Victoria, Australia. He is a pilot and husband with a keen interest in the world around him, from aviation to finance, from history to philosophy. As you can gather from the title of his philosophical self-help book, he is a father to a son and daughter. His children inspired him to write down the lessons he wanted them to learn.
Book Info
Paperback | 150 pages |
Publisher | CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (14 July 2016) |
Language | English |
ISBN-10 | 1534816860 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1534816862 |