You’re sitting in your corner office, looking at the family photo on your desk. Your kids are smiling in it—a moment frozen in time from last year’s vacation. The one you spent half of on your phone handling “urgent” work matters.
Success looks good on paper, doesn’t it?
The Pattern We Swore We’d Break
Remember being a kid? That house key around your neck, the empty house after school, the endless “15-minute projects” on Sundays that were supposed to make up for all the absent weekdays?
“I’ll be different,” we promised ourselves.
Yet here we are, unconsciously recreating the same void our parents left. We’re providing everything our kids could want—except what they need most: us.
The Wake-Up Call
Mine came during a parent-teacher conference. My son’s teacher was talking about his achievements, but all I could focus on was the empty chair beside me. The one my father used to leave empty at my conferences.
History doesn’t just rhyme; sometimes it repeats itself word for word.
Breaking the Cycle Starts Now
Here’s what’s working for me, and might work for you:
- The Power of Presence
- Schedule family time FIRST
- Put the phone away during dinner
- Make eye contact during conversations
- Show up for the small moments
- Creating Connection
- Ask specific questions about their interests
- Share your own struggles and victories
- Listen without trying to fix everything
- Create regular one-on-one time
- Redefining Success
- Question what “providing” really means
- Measure success in memories, not just money
- Value presence over perfection
- Build relationships, not just resumes
The Legacy We Choose
We stand at a crossroads a lot of our parents never recognized. We can continue the pattern of “successful-but-absent”, or we can create a new legacy.
Because here’s the truth: Our kids don’t need another empty chair at their events. They don’t need another story about why work comes first. They don’t need to practice understanding why we’re not there.
Our kids need us. Present. Connected. Real.
Your Next Step
Start small. Tonight, put your phone in another room during dinner. Ask your kid about their day—and really listen. Share something about your own childhood. Break the pattern of silence one moment at a time.
Because twenty years from now, your success won’t be measured in deals closed or promotions earned. It will be measured in the relationship you have with your children.
Will they be strangers who visit on holidays? Or will they be people who genuinely want to spend time with you?
The choice is yours. The time is now.
What small change will you make today?
Want to make a long lasting change? The LEGACY Method was designed to break the generational patterns that we learned from our fathers. Want to learn more? Book a Call for a complementary session HERE