Not everything has to be fun …

Life, like any real adventure, comes with it’s share of shite. If we raise our kids with the idea that everything has to be ‘fun’ - or worse, everyone gets to be a winner - we are surely setting them up for perhaps more than their fair share of misery. And misery-filled life - my friends - is most definitely, not fun!

We build characteristics like character, grit, fortitude and the resolute mindset by engaging in challenging activities, tough activities … activities that are very frequently, NOT FUN! 

Oh, such things might be fun to talk about afterward, we might enjoy the achievements, we might shape or forge better versions of ourselves while so engaged, etc - but whilst we’re in the middle of it, FUN, just is the word that springs to mind. 

Fun, is like dessert. Now, those who know we well, understand that I enjoy my dessert. But that dessert, doesn’t make up any truly significant proportion of my daily diet. I get my nutrients elsewhere. Similarly, I like fun, of course … who doesn’t? But all fun, and no scrap, no grit, no enduring or perseverance, leaves us as weak as a the skin of a rice pudding (dessert reference right there).