Knowledge = Success

“Share your knowledge. It’s the best gift you can give.” Brenda Weekley Thompson

Hello Friends!

As we all head toward the start of a new school year in this ‘new normal’ I have been thinking a lot about education and learning in general. I read a post by Brenda Weekly Thompson that got me thinking back to my childhood. I realized that I learned as much from my parents and grandparents as I did from school. In life, Knowledge = Success.

I learned to be creative from my grandmother, how to fix things from my grandfather, to work hard from my Dad, and to never give up from my Mom. These are important lessons that I learned by spending time with them and learning the skills that they had to teach. Skills that included cooking, sewing, crocheting, embroidery, car and small appliance repair, gardening, and much, much more. It took patience on their part, something that I didn’t fully appreciate until I became a parent and began to pass on my talents and skills.

“Passing on a lifetime of knowledge is important, even when they seem uninterested, it will be useful one day and they will be grateful.” Brenda Weekley Thompson

We, as a society, have moved away from the passing on of our skills and knowledge, coming to rely almost exclusively on the education system to teach our children. Along with knowledge comes morals, integrity, and values. I think that as parents, grandparents, siblings, and adults, we need to re-evaluate the educating of children today and seize the opportunity that the pandemic has offered for us to share our knowledge and experience with the next generation.

“The best time to plant a tree was yesterday. Where would we be if someone hadn’t planted fruit trees etc. before us?” Brenda Weekley Thompson

Brenda talks about how she has shared her knowledge with 3 generations in her family, she is open about the challenges that she has overcome and the pride that she feels in her children and grandchildren. She advises, “Teach all you can to your children and grandchildren whether they seem interested or not.”

Brenda also writes about sharing her own learning process with the children, so that as she learns new things, they do too. I had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home parent when my children were younger and I naturally taught them many things just by having them present when I was cooking, or gardening, or making something. They all have a unique ‘Life Skills Toolbox’ that includes those skills along with things that they have learned from their father, other family members, friends and neighbors.

Brenda goes on to say that, “…it’s our duty as elders to pass on knowledge of all kinds, not just from books.” And I couldn’t agree more! Remember, Knowledge = Success and you have a lifetime of knowledge and experience that you can share with the young people in your life! So go for it! You can make a difference in someone’s life that you never thought possible just by being you!

Have a Great Day!

Dottie Lake