_When you were a kid, how many times did you hear the line, "Life's not fair"? I suppose you heard it most every time you, like me, complained that things weren't fair in your opinion. I'll say it now, as a kid I didn't think things were fair all the time. Well, as a seasoned adult and parent, I am here to finally take a stand against that well-worn statement, contradict my childhood opinion and announce to the world that life, is indeed quite fair. Yes, you heard it correctly and I'm not backing down on this one. I'll even say it again (with emphasis),
Life Is Fair!

Now to pronounce something so bold, you probably want some kind of evidence, some secret proof that has been uncovered to corroborate this statement that flies in the face of everything we hold true, right? Exhibit A: You wanted something and someone else got it before you could. And let's make it even juicier. That someone didn't buy it, like you were going to, they stole it! How could that be fair? Well, what did YOU do to get it first? You could have stole it too, couldn't you? Of course you could, but you chose not to.

Let's try another. Two students decide to cheat on a test. One student never studies and cheats often. The other is a good student but had a rough time the night before caring for his sick mother instead of studying. He's not completely comfortable with cheating but needs a good grade to keep his average. Both students cheat but only one gets caught. You guessed it, the good kid gets caught and the career cheater escapes yet again. How could this be fair? Oddly enough, it really is. If you cheat, you know what the risks are, don't you?

It's not uncommon for us to compare ourselves to others - what we have, what they have; what we do, what they do. It's perfect natural...but it doesn't matter. In this game of life we all come into this world with the ability to play, that's it. We don't have the same pieces or the same amount of currency. We don't even get the assurance of a level playing field. The variables are endless...and completely fair. There is so much inequality that it's the only thing you can count on. But you're in the game and because you are, it's perfectly fair. I know at first glance that sounds like a tough pill to get your kids to swallow but once they understand that this is the way the game is played, they can forget about things being fair or not and get to playing their very best. And isn't that what they should be doing?

I hate to pull current events into this but the whole "occupy" movement is based upon an argument of things being unfair. Why? Each and everyone of the protestors has the God-given right to pack up their tents, put their drum back in the closet and go out and be as successful as they'd like to be. No one is stopping them and THAT IS FAIR!

Let's be better parents and teach our kids now, before they choose to abstain from showers for six months and parade up and down the streets whining because other people choose to dedicate their lives to making tons of money. We all have the right to CHOOSE. We also have the opportunity to look at the glass as half-full and instead of saying, "life isn't fair, get used to it", tell them, "life is perfectly fair and you have the opportunity become anything you want, make as much as you'd like and take that money to do as much good as you can. All you have to do is choose your path."

That sounds fair.