The Sean Show

I recently took my four-year-old son to an ice rink for a skating lesson. He and I had done a few group lessons last season, so I figured this time would be just like the others. Boy was I wrong.

For the past few years I’ve been reflecting on the best and worst days of my year, and sending that letter to my immediate family, as well as my in-laws. This year, I decided to post my reflections here.

Have you ever had to go through a serious change, either in your personal life or in your career, that absolutely scared the living daylights out of you? Or perhaps you’re approaching a change right now, and you’re just not sure how to process it?

Last weekend, my two-year-old daughter was crying uncontrollably. I did everything I could to try and console her, but nothing was working. I proceeded to tell her that whenever I’m sad or upset, it always helps when I breathe deeply for ten seconds. When we finished, I could tell that the exercise had made a big difference.

In my household, dinnertime is always interesting. We continue to struggle with our four-year-old son. You see, we only have one dining table in our home, and it happens to be one of those nice hand-me-downs that we’d prefer to keep in good condition. With one of the world’s messiest toddlers for an eater, sitting on a towel is a must. The problem? He absolutely hates sitting on the towel.

My wife and I moved into our home about three years ago, and I’m embarrassed to admit that up until recently, we were still struggling to fill the walls with framed artwork. One evening, when my son was just three years old, he provided us with all the answers we were searching for.

While fishing with my four-year-old son, I began to feeling more and more frustrated each time his casts resulted in a rats nest. Thankfully, he said something that instantly snapped me out of my funk.

A few weeks ago, my four-year-old son was playing with one of my favorite tools, the telescopic magnet. I knew by his demeanor that something bad had happened. This poor little guy looked like a dog with his tail between his legs, looking at me with a cringed face, broken tool in hand. He told me that he broke it, and that he was sorry.

Dr. Shefali Tsabary recently published a book called The Awakened Family: How to Raise Empowered, Resilient, and Conscious Children. This book really resonated with me because it puts the spotlight where I believe it belongs: on the parents.

One aspect of life I’ve always found fascinating (probably because I’ve struggled with it so much) is self-control. And more specifically, the ability to listen to what your body is telling you.

I’m always amazed at how much we can learn from our children when we’re fully engaged with them, and I’m equally as amazed at how much we can learn about ourselves when we’re completely disengaged.