Who’s Raising Your Child—You or Your Calendar

I left my career in the Navy SEALs behind when I was at the top because I saw what happened to the families of career SEALs, and it wasn’t a happy ending. Most had no relationship with their children, and I wanted something better.

Parents who always put their careers first and leave everything to nannies, teachers, and coaches are doomed to have problems with their adult children.

I’ve seen this so many times that I don’t need a case study. It’s a wonder how so many brilliant parents try to outsource parenting and use their careers and making money to rationalize their behavior.

A great friend owns a billion-dollar business in New York, but his kids are a total disaster.

Two out of three have been in and out of rehab (and worse) as young adults, and there’s no end in sight. I can see the pain in his eyes every time we speak, and kids come up in the discussion. He obviously loves his children a great deal, but he wasn’t around when being around would have made the difference.

None of us can get back time lost, no matter how much we earn.

Career, family, kids, and relationships are like a garden.

If you skip watering portions long enough, plants wither and die, and weeds (bad influences) take over.

Investing time in your children is no different from putting money away for retirement; it compounds and grows over time, eventually maturing into something beautiful.

Or it turns into what my friend has—constant chaos and pain.

Time is the great equalizer.

Remember that next time you’re prioritizing your career over that school play.

The choice is yours.