Yesterday, my son asked me why I sing so much.

You see, I sing a lot. I take weekly lessons and I practice most every day. Most days, I do two rounds of practice. Why? I have a passion for singing. I’ve always wanted to be a great singer and I’m going to have to improve a lot to get there. Plus, being a better singer means my songs drive deeper emotion and create more impact.

And now that my son is done with this school year, he sees those two-a-day practices. He hears me working on songs, hours at a time (my ‘recording studio’ is in the middle of the living room).

Over the years, I’ve noticed traits I’ve picked up from both my mom and dad in my own behavior. They programmed me. And as a dad, I think about how I’m programming my kid. If I scream at him in anger, I’m programming him. If I show patience or my process for solving problems, I’m programming him. If I show an attitude that the world is a dangerous place or that it’s not, I’m programming him.

There’s a lot I want to teach him: how to think clearly and problem solve, to be kind, to face difficulty resourcefully… And another thing — how to work hard and consistently to achieve a goal. At an age where he’s experimenting with taking on various behaviors; role models, if you will, demonstration is a heck of a lot better than a lecture.

So, he hears my mistakes and struggles. He hears me not sounding very good (when you practice, you’re often trying to go beyond what you can currently do). And he hears me getting better.

Keith

PS: That’s a pic from a few years ago. I can’t put him up on my shoulders anymore.