03/07/2021
Yesterday, I got a call from my boy who is studying abroad to inform me he failed an exam.
He was in tears, and I could barely hear what he was saying to me. Yet, one sentence stuck with me: "I am sorry Dad coz I've failed you." His main concern was me, not him. He felt ashamed of himself coz he let me down.
My son is not accustomed to 'failure' as he was very good at school. So, this was more like his first 'major failure'.
Now, how was I supposed to respond?
Well, first of all, I had to calm him down and I allowed him to pour out all the negative emotions there and then. All the frustration, the anger, the disappointment, the guilt, the shame, the hurt, ... all of it. There and then.
When he was done, I told him my response, which left him in shock! He was puzzled and surprised, and was not expecting that.
I told him: "Congratulations Son! And welcome to your Journey of Success."
I told him I always have his back and that I am so proud of him.
Ofcourse, there are many ways to react to this situation, and there is no right or wrong way. There is just MY way. And that IT'S OK to fail. Infact, IT'S GREAT to fail! ... coz this is how we all LEARN and GROW and SUCCEED.
By the end of our chat, I knew my son was all OK. And I know he will go on to achieve great things in his life ❤🙏.
😍