Family Education Oral Book - Outstanding Parenting Wisdom Passed Down Through Generations

Author: Liang Qiuli / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
Sam Johnson and his son Linton were both very tall and talkative. When Linton was three years old, he followed his father everywhere. Even when his father went to the barber shop for a haircut, Linton insisted on going with him and sitting in the same chair, demanding that the barber shave his face with the back of the blade, just as the barber would do for his father. Linton said, "I always wanted to imitate my father and try to copy everything he did. Whatever I saw him do, I wanted to do too. My father loved outdoor activities, and I gradually grew to love them too. My father was passionate about politics and public welfare activities. Although I was still a child at the time, I always accompanied him to various events." Even in his youth, Linton often told his friends, "I really wanted to become like my father—a person who made a mark in politics, like working to advocate for pensions for the elderly." Linton was very interested in his father's political activities. In 1914, at the tender age of six, Linton began writing short campaign speeches and even attended some rallies. At home, when people came to consult Johnson about political matters, Linton would listen attentively, as long as it didn't disturb his father's conversation with his guests. Sometimes, when his father and guests discussed local affairs or state government matters, his father would allow Linton to sit nearby and listen. If his father didn't want Linton to listen to their conversation in front of the guests, Linton would sneak to the next room and try every way to eavesdrop on their discussion. As a young man, Linton was also very willing to go with his father to political meetings. In 1918, Sam Johnson took his ten-year-old son Linton to the state legislature, specifically arranging for him to sit in the back of the legislative hall to observe the proceedings and understand what the legislators did. These rare experiences were truly invaluable to Linton's later career in politics. Decades later, Linton wrote the following nostalgic words:
"We drove in a Model T Ford from farm to farm with my father. Along the way, we passed through many valleys. Whenever we came to a house, we would stop the car in front of it and get out to chat with the people. My father was incredibly eloquent when he talked to them. And the topics he discussed were very broad—ranging from the growth of crops to what he planned to include in legislation. What was particularly interesting was that my father always carried many loaves of bread and a large jar of jam made by my mother. When we got tired or hungry, we would stop the car by the roadside. My father would slice the bread, spread jam on it, and give it to me to eat. Many families along the way were very welcoming to my father and me. If the weather was very hot outside, they would warmly invite us inside to sit and try some of their ice cream. If the weather was cold, they would pour us two cups of hot tea. I really wish I could have lived with my father like that forever."
P21-22