Worth The Effort

My dad was in his 60’s when he decided to go back to school.  Not many people thought it was a big deal, but he was so proud.  He always liked to cook and he decided to go to school to become a chef.  He worked hard even though he had trouble learning to use the computers. 

One day he actually asked for help (something my father never did).  We spent a few hours on the computer working on his  paper.  I showed him how to find information on this thing called Google.  He was amazed that it was so easy for me.  After our research was done, he typed his report and asked me to proof it for him.  I showed him how to make the changes and we sent his report electronically to his teacher.  He was amazed!

He worked hard to get that certificate.  He didn’t want us to make a big deal about his graduation, but my brother and I had to show him how special this accomplishment was.  We went to his graduation and then celebrated with dinner.  We didn’t make a big deal out of it because he didn’t want that, but we wanted him to know that we were proud of him.  He still talks about his family being there for graduation because we had the most people there.  He was proud and appreciated us being there for him.

Why am I telling you this story?  It’s because even when people think they don’t want you to show appreciation and to celebrate them, deep down inside they usually do.  Most of the time when people tell you they don’t want you to make a big deal, it’s because they don’t want to bother you or they don’t think they’re worth the effort. 

Make sure your family knows they are worth the effort.  Make sure they know you are proud of their accomplishments – even the small ones!