Rich Dad . . . Poor Dad

This afternoon as I went on-line to check my e-mail, a pop-up ad appeared on my screen.  Of course pop-up ads are nothing unusual, but this one caught my eye.

The heading was “Rich Dad . . . Poor Dad.”  As I looked it over, I discovered that it is a promotion for an upcoming seminar to be held at the Omni Bayfront Tower in Corpus Christi on September 24.  The speaker is reported to be Robert Kiyosaki . . . I have never heard of him, but the ad said he has sold a million copies of his book that bears the same title as the seminar.  The ad says the seminar promises to teach Dads things such as:

“How to move from employee . . . to entrepreneur”

“How to Get on the Road to Success”

There was a time in my life when I could possibly have been attracted to such a seminar.  It seems to me that any Dad worth his salt wants to do his best for his family (that was certainly Paul’s contention) and I sure wanted to do my best for my family.  As strange as it is in my mind, the truth is that there are many guys who simply just don’t care how their families live . . . and they have never figured out the truth of the home spun proverb, “Nothing will work until you work.”  I recently had to terminate a friendship with a guy over that very issue.  I just grew weary of having to go through the struggle of trying to kick-start the dude every time something needed to be done . . . it seemed that recently I had been failing most of the time in trying to get him kicked-started.  I came to the conclusion that I could do better with someone having lesser ability . . . provided he had a better attitude.  Someone who was willing to turn off the TV, get off of the sofa, and go to work would be far better.  The other dude had reached the place that he just wanted to watch TV and eat food that his poor, sick wife bought with food stamps and with her Social Security Disability.  I know that his wife and kids have absolutely no respect for him and are not shy about telling people about him and his lazy ways.  Them doing that use to bother me, and I am not saying it is right, but I tend to be more understanding of their position today. 

As tragic as that situation is, and sadly, there are thousands like it across the country, I have come to believe that a Dad providing for his family financially should not be such a big deal . . . it should just be a natural thing that he does . . . like breathing . . . and there just should not even be a question.  There is a danger . . . if he gets off balance on the financial part, that he can become blind to the real opportunity to be a “Rich Dad!” 

The husband a wife desires and the Dad that kids needs is a guy who is . . . rich in love, character, honor, decency, and integrity.  A tender warrior . . . who says to his family, “No one can come in our home and hurt you . . . because it is my responsibility to protect you . . . and I love you enough do that.  I also love you too much to ever allow anything into my life . . . or into our home that will hurt you or our family.”

I wonder if Robert Kiyosaki will tell those young dads the truth about Fatherhood . . . those young guys searching for answers and wanting to become Rich Dads.  Dad’s living at a time in history and in a culture that is becoming desperate for good, strong Dads.  Or will Robert Kiyosaki just try to sell them his books and cassettes that make him a rich dad?

I knew a great guy who was loaded with potential and possibility as a kid.  He was a great-looking kid, with a great personality and a lot of athletic ability.  Today he is a 40-year-old guy, who lives with a parent and a step-parent, struggling with alcoholism, and in desperate need of any sort of approval.  He has no self-respect and has poor social skills and needs others to validate him.  I could always see his pain as he lived with his mom in a government-assisted apartment complex, while his dad lived like a “Rich Dad” and always took terrific care of some other woman’s child.  He got to spend a couple of weeks each summer seeing it first hand and having his nose rubbed in it, before he returned home . . . to assisted housing, welfare checks, and food stamps. 

I know that each of us has to make choices in life and that we should never allow our circumstances to define who we are . . . but there is also the truth that there are some kids who just need the love, support, and encouragement of their dad . . . and without it, they will just be scarred for life.

Dude . . . I am so sorry.  It broke my heart to watch it . . . and I really wish I could have done more . . . but my hands were tied.


2 thoughts on “Rich Dad . . . Poor Dad

  1. You should read the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”. It is a really good book! I have the audio version if you want to listen to it.

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