Being a parent is amazing. It’s hard. It’s challenging. It’s tiring. It’s scary. It’s rewarding. The list could actually never end.
For me, one of the most rewarding moments as a parent is watching our kids pursue their passions. Maybe it’s the career and technical education teacher in me, but watching our kids find something they truly care about and dive into learning a new skill fills my heart with joy.
Learning How to Cook
Over a year ago, my mother-in-law taught our son how to make an omelet and ever since then, he has practiced perfecting his omelet-making skills. I didn’t think anything of it other than we now have a master omelet maker in our home.
This all changed about two months ago. Our son came home one day itching to learn how to dice vegetables. This is absolutely not in my wheelhouse. Thankfully, a dear friend of mine is also our culinary arts teacher at school, and knife skills are her expertise. She started teaching our son all about knife skills like slicing, dicing and chopping. Watching our son develop these skills each day is impressive, and I’m definitely enjoying having someone who likes to cook in our home.
Our son began writing a new story this past weekend as he decided he wanted to start a small business. If there’s anything that I’ve learned from parenting, it’s to not only provide our kids with many learning opportunities, but also foster an environment where failure is a learning opportunity. I couldn’t help but think what a great experience starting a business would provide for our son.
Starting His Small Business
As we began our discussions, my son had already decided on a business name, he looked at logos and designs for potential ideas, he knew the service he wanted to provide, he assessed his time commitment and he even typed up a mission statement for his company. Our son had weighed the pros and cons of this venture before even talking to us.
The teacher in me went into full teaching mode as my son and I discussed potential competition, pricing, how to create an order form, creating business spreadsheets and even packaging his products. He jumped in with both feet, excited and prepared. When he received an email from his first customer, the excitement in his eyes said it all.
Taking Risks
Here’s the deal about this entire experience. If I hadn’t realized long ago that parenting also encourages taking risks and not being afraid of failure, I would’ve talked my son out of this adventure. I liked staying in my safe zone, yet I learned this isn’t where learning takes place.
But I couldn’t discourage our son from taking a risk, knowing that he’s embarking on a great learning experience. Could he fail? Absolutely. But he’s going to learn more about customer relations, providing a service, marketing and accounting beyond anything I could ever imagine. This is the beauty of learning technical skills and creating experiences for our children.
As I started out my blog with all of the things parenting can be, it’s absolutely exciting and rewarding watching our children pursue their own passions.
Shelly Mowinkel
K-12 & Teens
My husband and I have three kids. Our oldest is a freshman in high school, and our youngest is in second grade. Most days, I feel like we are a “tag-team chauffeuring” service, yet I wouldn’t have our life any other way. Not only I am a business/technology teacher at Milford, I am also the district technology integration specialist. I love teaching because I get the opportunity to make those around me better. My hope is that, through my blogging, I am able to inspire, encourage, and share with you my adventures of being a wife, mother, and professional.
