Over the last few days, i've been thinking a lot about my future. To be more specific, the future I may have with my wife and kids. It's strange. I never used to think about starting a family. I mean, I used to joke about naming my son Hamlet or Leonidas, but it never went further than that. Over the last few days, i've been talking about it more than I usually should....
As I was having lunch with a friend the other day, I got to talking about how different my kids upbringing would be compared to the one I had. Being in the theatre industry has indeed made me more open as a person, thus probably making me more open as a parent. When I was a kid, my mother and her side of the family always frowned upon me for acting and doing what I loved to do. The only one who really supported me was my father. I was always pushed to get good grades and if not, it was a night of caning for me. There was so much pressure which I knew I could never live up to....
I never really had much of a childhood as a majority of it was spent in front of the camera or on stage. Instead of studying books, I was studying scripts. Needless to say, my grades were shit. But that didn't matter to me. I was enjoying what I was doing and I knew I never wanted to stop. My mother never quite understood that. It was a hellish childhood. That explains why I still act like a kid now. Because I never did when I actually was a kid....
But coming back to the point. My kids. A lot of parents want their kids to be successful when they grow up. Don't get me wrong, I would love my kid to be successful in all he does, but what's more important is I want him/her to be happy. That's the key to life. Why be successful in something you can't have fun with? Slog through life only to reach the age of 70 and regret that you never had any fun. As I always say, I would rather do something and suffer the consequences than live life not knowing what would happen if I never did it in the first place, forever regretting my decision....
If my kids wants to drink, smoke up or even take drugs, I wouldn't stop them. I won't tell them "oh, it's bad for you" or "I'll disown you". I would simply tell them, "go ahead, but don't hurt yourself". Of course I would explain to them the pros and cons, but I would never restrict them. I would let them do what the want to do but will always let them know that if they get into trouble, I will be there to save them. If my kids wanted to love someone of their own sex, I'd be more than accepting to the idea because I know this person would make my son or daughter happy, regardless of the sex. Bottom line, I will be a father who will be extremely open to whatever my kids want to do. Theatre has indeed made me this open, and I thank it for that....
I want my kids to be happy. I want my family to be happy. More importantly, I want my kids to have the family and childhood that I never got.....
Now, if only I wasn't single....
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