“In 1915, aged thirty-six, Einstein was living in wartorn
Berlin, while his estranged wife, Mileva, and their two sons, Hans Albert
Einstein and Eduard “Tete” Einstein, lived in comparatively safe Vienna. On
November 4 of that year, having just completed the two-page masterpiece that
would catapult him into international celebrity and historical glory, his
theory of general relativity, Einstein sent 11-year-old Hans Albert the
following letter - ”
The Secret of Learning Anything: Albert Einstein’s Advice
to His Son: Maria Popova http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/06/14/einstein-letter-to-son/
My dear Albert,
Yesterday I received your dear letter and was very happy with it. I was
already afraid you wouldn’t write to me at all any more. You told me when I was
in Zurich, that it is awkward for you when I come to Zurich. Therefore I think
it is better if we get together in a different place, where nobody will
interfere with our comfort. I will in any case urge that each year we spend a
whole month together, so that you see that you have a father who is fond of you
and who loves you. You can also learn many good and beautiful things from me,
something another cannot as easily offer you. What I have achieved through such
a lot of strenuous work shall not only be there for strangers but especially
for my own boys. These days I have completed one of the most beautiful works of
my life, when you are bigger, I will tell you about it.
I am very pleased that you find joy with the piano. This and carpentry
are in my opinion for your age the best pursuits, better even than school.
Because those are things which fit a young person such as you very well. Mainly
play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not
assign those. That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing
something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes. I am
sometimes so wrapped up in my work that I forget about the noon meal. . . .
Be with Tete kissed by your
Papa.
Regards to
Mama.
The idea of writing a letter to a child is incredibly rare these days, and possibly even more rare for a father to choose to write to his child. But as Albert Einstein's letter to his son, written nearly 100 years ago, indicates, things that are important and dear can be communicated meaningfully in written form. There are several hints that this letter gives us which are worth practicing ~
* This father has heard his son's thoughts of the difficulty he feels when his father returns home
* In a gentle fatherly manner he suggests a better way to meet in future
* He persuasively speaks of the importance of time together so that he can prove his fondness and love for his son
* He wants to teach him "good and beautiful things" which only a father can pass on to his child
* He speaks of his intention in the future to share with his son what has been of deep interest to him in his work
* Then he discusses the things that interest his son and we sense Albert knows his son's interests and gifting, and advises not for 'success' but from a basis of love
* His farewell is affectionate, respectful of the whole family but still expressing high value for this son.
THISWEEKWITHTHEKIDS ~ with Fathers Day approaching this weekend, it would be great if the fathers took the opportunity to write to one child or a short note/email to all their children to communicate their fondness and interest in their own child's lives.
HAVE A HAPPY FATHERS DAY !!!!!!!!!
Cathy
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