“I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.” (Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum)

What are you teaching your kids in those moments when you’re not trying to teach them anything at all?

What if the great author Umberto Eco is right, and whatever your answer is to that question is exactly what they’re learning most from you?

Here’s some of what I hope my answer is (what my kids are learning when I’m not trying to teach them):

I love being with you.

I don’t always have an agenda for your life.

I enjoy accomplishing difficult tasks.

Relaxing is necessary, even as a “responsible” adult.

The second I stop learning is the second I stop living.

Your mother is the girl of my dreams, and the most important person in my life (even more important than you).

God is Love.