Dad’s Wisdom

[199 words] How many of us heard our fathers make the statement: “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” Of course, we were being scolded for doing something dangerous or hurtful. That’s when we offered our excuse: “but everyone was doing it.” As soon as those words hit my father’s ears, he would have an answer. “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you?” I hated that saying. It basically meant that all my friends were idiots and I was an idiot for doing what they did. Then I became a father. One day, one of my children asked to do something that I knew was ill-advised.  That’s when I said, “no.” Then my child said those words I’d said so many years ago: “But Dad, everyone’s doing it.” Guess what I replied? “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” Then, I realized that…