"Go to school. Your education is important, follow your dreams,..." these are just a few of the mantras most parents tell their children year after year. Well, another famous parental quote is "Do what I say, not what I do!"

So - when was the last time YOU really challenged yourself to learn something new? When was the last time You took a class? Continuing to learn is not only good for the soul, it's good for the example to our children.

Children need to see that it's ok for adults to do something nice for themselves. They learn about balance in their world when they get to experience that everything doesn't focus on just them and their fun.

When adults take care of themselves, children can learn it's ok to do good for yourself as well as others. Plus they can see that not only can adults - on occasion - learn something new but they also benefit from seeing you working hard at something, struggling (just like them) and succeeding.

That act of witnessing us overcoming challenges and triumphing can be empowering not only for ourselves (as a reminder that we really are smart, really can put our nose to the grindstone and figure out solutions to tough problems) but is a far more impactful example to our children of what can be accomplished with trying.

When we take on something new and fun, it opens our eyes to seeing things in new ways which can add depth to our shared experiences with our kids.