When I was growing up in Wyoming, my parents took us to all the “regular” tourist destinations for our summer trips, but it was my Father who made sure we did the off the beaten path things that I really did not come to appreciate until I was older. One year, we made a trip to Coeur d’Alene, and we diverted a bit to the town of Ketchum, Idaho. My Father wanted to make sure we visited the gravesite of Ernest Hemingway. When we got there, he told me to make sure that I read his books in my lifetime, which was advice I probably half listened to and put my headphones back on.
In college, I ran across a copy of “The Sun Also Rises.” I remembered the advice, and after reading it, I was hooked. When the latest Ken Burns film about Hemingway’s life debuted on PBS this week, I was very excited, and immediately pre-ordered it for our library!
I hope this reminds parents that while you may get eye rolls and think your children don’t heed your advice, someday they will—and their lives will be better for it.