My soon-to-be ex-wife just shared with me something that she wrote for our kids. I found it to be very well done and asked her if I could share it with whoever might read it here.

She wrote it when our oldest was going through a bout of being possessed by some demon. He is a great kid and doesn’t have many of those bouts these days. Anyway, here is what she wrote:

For years your dad and I have taught you and prodded you to make your own decisions. And for the most part, you have done just what we have asked. As your parents your dad and I have lent a guiding hand but the decisions and choices you have made have been yours and yours alone.

Some of your choices have been good, some not so good and some bad. The good decisions were made with rational thoughts and foresight into the outcome. And you relished in the consequences. The not so good decisions came from an ambivalent thought with little foresight but much hindsight. And the consequences yielded a 50/50 end result. Some choices were fair and acceptable while others had much to be desired and less likely to be repeated. The poor choices were usually made in haste, spite or revenge and you only regretted the choice made.

But every decision you made, each good choice, each not so good choice and each poor choice all taught you something important. What your final decision was is not important. Of course at the time the ultimate end result seemed to be the only thing that mattered. The most important thing that you learned was to trust your instinct and that the here and now is not as important as the long run.

You will make mistakes. Your dad and I did and we still do. Mistakes are good. They teach us what not to do, what to do differently and how to recognize the criteria that makes a good decision or a bad decision.

Never have regrets. You may have disappointments, but never have regrets. Look at each and every obstacle you face as an opportunity. Each obstacle you face will force you to choose a path – to make a good choice, a not so good choice or a bad choice. Your dad and I can assist you, all you have to do is ask for our guidance and we will give it to you. Just remember that all we are giving is our opinion and our advice and that outcome rests on your instinct and your final decision.