Parenting 101

Lori and the girls and I were driving somewhere the other day and another driver did something stupid, I don't remember what, and so Lori and I started talking about this whole, "I'm the exception" attitude that is so prevalent in our society today. I said something like, "Everybody thinks it's all about them. Don't they know that it's really all about me."

And Elie said from the back, "It's not all about you, Daddy."

To which I gave my standard reply, "No, it's not, but it should be."

And Elie said, "It's all about God."

And I beamed - and Lori and I looked at each other the the joy that comes from knowing that you are the greatest parent in the world. You have instilled in the heart of your child an awareness of centrality of the presence of God in her life. You have passed on the primacy of loving God, of acknowledging Him first, of making God the center....

"Dad, Elie is making mean faces at me, " Rachel yelled from the back.

And it's back to reality...

"Don't make me come back there..."