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[Alexandr Korol]

you realize that this child will then not want to participate in the sports competitions at their school — because what’s the point if they’re leaving soon anyway? Or your child won’t want to build a relationship, or won’t want to make friends with others, you see? It’s like this — you know how, when someone learns a certain piece of information, their attitude toward everything can change completely? For example, if you’re told that in ten years you’ll inherit a factory, you suddenly don’t want to study anymore. Why should you? You’re going to have a factory with millions in turnover — what’s the point of studying? But if you don’t know about that inheritance, then you keep trying, keep putting in effort. Now imagine you have a father who genuinely wants to give you that factory in ten years, and you’ll have everything taken care of. And he could tell you, “Son, you know, in ten years you’ll have it all.” But if a father says that to a kid — say, one who’s still in high school — that child will already start behaving differently, will start seeing his peers differently, won’t want to go to college. Or he might go, if the father explains, “Well, you need to study — how else will you manage a factory?” But the child will already be waiting only for that factory and thinking about where he wants to vacation, where he’s going to live, or maybe even deciding that there’s no point in studying at all, and that he’d rather use the money to travel the world. You see? But if the father had spoken more wisely and said something like, “Son, you have to understand — tomorrow I could pass away, and the factory could go bankrupt and collapse, and then what would you become? That’s why you need to study. Of course, if nothing happens, it would be great if we live long enough for you to graduate from university and maybe even help me run the factory — and who knows, maybe one day I’ll pass it on to you as an inheritance.” If the father talks to his child like that, the child stays in balance. On one hand, he understands there’s a possibility he might get the factory, but on the other hand, he has the fear that he could become an orphan at any moment — not just without a factory, but without even a pair of underwear. And he realizes that he has to study, rely on himself, not place his hopes on others, and take life into his own hands. And a wise father will navigate the conversation with his son like this. For example, when the son is discouraged, he’ll remind him about the factory. But when the son gets arrogant, he’ll say something like, “Listen, times are tough. Maybe I can pay for your studies this year, but think about the possibility that next year I might not be able to.