也谈父亲的榜样作用

为打字快，请原谅我的洋泾浜英文。

Please don't be confused between a truly inspirational example of improving one's life through hard work and dedication, and a normal upward career move on the corporate ladder. If you have a rags-to-riches story to tell, for example, from a dishwasher to a company executive by studying and working hard,  its positive impact on your children is much greater than, say, being promoted from a director to a senior director, or to the vice president of a company. A super-charged-company-man dad is not automatically a good role model for his kids. On the contrary, they might think he is a self-centered egoist busily engaged in a corporate rat race.

When your kids are 6 or even 9 years old, they would idolize you like a super hero even you are really a mediocre guy. By the time they become teens? Not so much. The best they can say about you is “Big deal, just a lowly engineer/scientist/manager.” What they really care about and really appreciate throughout their life is when they need you, you are there for them. If a child has a dream or a passion, he will pursue it no matter what. In fact as a parent, by being a good example to teach him/her the important lesson of balancing work and family life can be enormously beneficial for his/her long-term mental and physical well-being, hence becoming a much happier person which is the ultimate goal in life anyway.