“Happy birthday to you!”

My daughter was the first one who remembered and mentioned my birthday this morning. The fact that she remembers my birthday is the best birthday present.  See a parent is so easy to please.

I once asked my son, “Between fame and fortune, which do you prefer?”  Fame was the answer because fortune always came after it.  To be sure, most of human activities are motivated by their desire to be recognized. There is nothing wrong with seeking recognition on large or small scale.

The only thing I want my children to keep in mind is what it is that you want to be recognized.  While Al Gore has world-wide recognition, Nobel Prize to be exact, for his environmental protection efforts, G. Bush for his Iraq War. Bill Gate is famous not just for microsoft company but for his devotion to philanthropy. 

For me, especially on my birthday, I want to be recognized as a good parent at home and conscientious employee at work. Throughout my life, I want to be recognized for doing the right thing, no matter where and when. Not so ambitious, yet not so easy to really implement it all the time either. 

I will constantly jam and drill this idea into my children’s heads, which they might have known from my non-stop nagging. Because it is the right thing, according to my definition.