Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady talked about modern day parenting. Brady attended a Fortune’s Global Forum in New York on Tuesday, and offered up some parenting advice that some may consider controversial in today’s standards. The future Hall of Fame quarterback is a father of three and believes in the virtues of letting your kids fail even if that’s not the norm in today’s society.
Brady has been in the spotlight for over two decades, being the winningest quarterback in NFL history. The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t take the easy route to get to where he finished. Tom Brady was a sixth round pick out of the University of Michigan. He had to battle his way on to the Patriots roster his rookie season and waited patiently, quietly putting in the work until starter Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury. Brady entered the game, and as they say the rest is history.
Tom Brady’s Parenting Take
The former face of the NFL has said as a parent he is trying to emulate his own parents. Who were very supportive of his football dreams but never gave him the easy way out. Brady would say, “The blessing my parents gave: When I was the long shot as a kid who was a backup quarterback, they never said, man, don’t do that, it’ll be too hard, think about another backup plan.” He continued, “They said, go for it–that’s probably my parenting style.”
Brady would also say, “Think of today’s world, how we screw these kids up. Every time they mess up, we send them to an easier place to succeed.” This wasn’t Brady’s experience; he had to work hard to even get a chance to follow his dream. Not even starting in high school until his senior season. The former QB would then go on to point out how now a days a kid in the same position might just transfer to a school that would hand them the starting job. Brady believes that is a huge mistake in modern parenting, and that’s a lesson he is teaching to his own kids.
Reflecting On A 23 Year Career
During his visit in New York, Brady would take a moment to reflect on his legendary 23-year pro football career. The former NFL MVP would say, “There’s no way I would’ve had the success had I not gone through all the challenges of high school and college sports.”
Brady took a hard stance on young athletes during this interview, “They’re told their great, people coddle them, they never have to push beyond their limits. Even some of the best athletes in the world never have to go outside their comfort zone.”
It’s clear that Brady’s own path and how his parents raised him had a lasting impact as he aims to teach his kids the same. Believing it’s okay to let your kids fail at something, instead of giving them an easy way out to succeed elsewhere. It’s a stance that some will find very controversial, some will understand and completely agree. The one thing for sure is Tom Brady has never been afraid to speak his mind and tell the world how he really feels on a topic that is important to him.
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