Friday, July 10, 2009

“One Day You are Going to Thank Me”

The other day I went into an orthopedic store to buy a new item, and walked out with a new pair of shoes. And they were not cheap. How did the lady there sell me the footwear? Simple. She was really convinced that having these shoes was to my advantage, and set out to show me why.
“One day you are going to thank me”, she quipped, putting the shes on my feet. She listed the benefits of the shoe, and noticed my not-so-convinced face. “What don’t you like about them? She querried.
“I feel that they are too low in the back, like as if I am falling backwards.”
“Oh, that’s no problem...” . She quickly whipped out half-inserts and fitted them into the shoes. “Now try them.”
And she looked, checked the width, etc, until she was sure that they were comfortable for me. And yes, they WERE comfortable. Very much so. And worth the price.
* * * *
So when we try to convince our children of something, we have to first REALLY believe in it ourselves. And then set out to show them that this is good for THEM. With THEIR conditions, temperament, and values.