Talking to my kids: what my 14-year-old son learned from Forrest Gump
This weekend, we got off on the wrong track and hooked up with Forrest Gump again. We've all seen it in the family before. I the most, and for Conradito - the third time. When he finished the film, I was surprised by what had been his main lesson from the film.
I asked him, “Have you noticed that money is not so important in life?
“I hadn't thought about it, but I have learned a more interesting lesson.”
“That you don't have to mess with the weakest or that you don't have to be the smartest to succeed in life.”
“Well, that too, but another lesson.”
“That you can be happy in many ways and that for each one is different.”
“No dad, for me the most important lesson has been that you can be more than one thing in life.”
His answer caught my attention because I hadn't thought about it, so I insisted, "What do you mean, being more than one thing in life?
“Well, that's that Dad, because life can give you time to do and be more than one thing. I thought you studied to be one thing, if you were lucky you got it and you kept growing and improving until the 30s or so, but I hadn't thought that you could be a professional sportsman, soldier, fisherman, lawn mower, millionaire...
“It's a good lesson, Conri. I hadn't thought about that, but I have. You can be many different things throughout life.”
“Well, I feel much more at ease because I thought I had to choose what was going to be the rest of my life. Knowing you can change takes the pressure off because I thought I had to choose when I finished high school.”
The truth is that I was shocked, not because of what he told me, but because of all that was involved in the conception of a normal life as understood by my son and I assume that many of our children will understand.
Of course, I have learnt to deal this with all my children: in life you can change many times: from hobbies, trades, career, work, city and even country and friends... and life does not end at the age of 30,40,50, because afterward, you can continue to have maximum enthusiasm for getting new and different things.
