Everyone has heard the name of Bill Gates and his incredible successes. But once he was an ordinary child and became incredibly wealthy only thanks to his efforts. How did he do it? Here you can talk a lot about luck, business acumen and extensive knowledge, but the foundation for future success is laid by parents from childhood. So how did mom and dad bring up little Bill, who could become a legendary person and his personal financial condition is estimated at many millions of dollars?
They did not limit the independence of the son
As a child, Gates longed for independence, and his parents provided him with the long-awaited freedom in many ways. By the age of 13, Gates was most of the time outside the house and spent nights at the University of Washington, mastering unknown technologies.
But it was not always so. The following story is interesting. “What are you doing?” Bill's mother asked, when he didn’t react at all to the call to go to dinner. “I think,” Gates shouted back. Then he added: “Have you ever tried to think?”
Shortly after this incident, Gates' parents sent their son to a psychologist. After several consultations with a specialist, they realized that it was necessary to give the boy more freedom.
They did not allow him to abandon cases in which he did not excel too much.
Gates was experienced in many things, but his parents also forced him to do things he didn't like, such as swimming and playing football. They also encouraged the boy to take music lessons (Gates tried to play the trombone, but, according to his father, was not very successful).
It may seem counterintuitive to push your children into activities in which they do not succeed. It seems that the self-esteem of the child is falling. But Gates' parents saw the situation somewhat differently. They believed that while trying something new, their son developed thinking and realized the importance of failure.
They did not make him live up to their expectations.
Gates' parents did not expect their son to become a billionaire, but they expected him to graduate from college. “The expectations of Mary and mine were quite logical for people whose children study in college. We hoped our son would get a degree, ”Gates Sr. said.
Therefore, it is not surprising how worried they were when Gates told them that he was planning to leave Harvard. Gates Sr. said it was very difficult for them to accept this and support their son, but in the end they gave up.
Support for their son’s decision was ultimately successful. Soon after, Gates moved to Seattle with his co-founder Paul Allen, to focus on creating Microsoft.
They did not ignore the importance of communities.
Gates' parents were incredibly involved in charity and community service, and they did everything possible to ensure that their children also engage in community activities.
Conclusion
You can learn a lot from Gates' parents, but it all comes down to the following: if you want your children to be successful, the most important thing you can do is to be support, support and friend for them.