A Dad’s Words: When Dharma and Your Kids Mix

On the way back home from Saturday Dharma class, I detoured to collect our laundry after the holidays. While waiting, my elder daughter Imelda—a young teen—saw an old man selling ice cream (he drives an ice cream box around on his bicycle to sell ice cream). It was just after 3:00 in the afternoon and the sun was blazing hot. Imelda asked her younger sister Ilaria if she would like some ice cream and said that she would buy it for her. This request came out of the blue since Imelda usually fights with her sister. Imelda used her own money that she earns from her holiday job to buy the ice cream. What a change! This girl is usually soooo stingy …. This was like the sun rising in the West….. 

I was so happy that she showed kindness and love to her sister (finally)….. I praised her and thanked her for thinking about her sister but also joked to ask why I didn’t get any ice cream ….. hahaha (jealous father) ….

Her answer shocked me and made my eyes fill with tears…. She said, “I saw the old man—he’s so old and still needs to work so hard under the hot sun, I just wanted to help him and I know Ilaria likes ice cream so I bought it from him.”

All this compassion and loving kindness would not have been put into practice without the all the talks Venerable Chodron gives that Imelda attends, as well as all the conversations Venerable Chodron and Venerable Damcho have had with her over the past few years. She had become more positive. (What a change from her negative view toward life….) 

I am sooo happy and really want to share this with you. Really thankful for all the teachings… sadhu sadhu sadhu ! 🙏

Photo by Lukas Blazek (Pexels).