My father was an alcoholic and not nice. My mother fortunately divorced him when I was 3 or 4, and thereafter we lived a nice, quiet calm life. My mother worked long hours, but somehow succeeded in following Mr. Kristal’s “Pearls of Wisdom” with her four children. Perhaps she knew Mr. Kristal! Apparently they were cut from the same cloth. She was mom and dad rolled into one and I will never stop appreciating and loving her. Happy Father’s Day Mom (Beverly Hope Scobell Eagan-Owens) and Mr. Israel Kristal! You are both very special in my heart!
Top 10 Pearls of Wisdom from the World’s Oldest Dad
(Image credit: Haaretz)
Happy Father’s Day!
This year for Father’s Day, we hosted Israel Kristal, the world’s oldest living man, who live-tweeted fatherly advice from the @MyHeritage Twitter account.
Israel, who will be 113 in September, currently holds the title of the world’s oldest man, making him also the world’s oldest father. We couldn’t have chosen a more experienced person to dispense sage wisdom.
Here are the top 10 pearls of wisdom he shared with us:
1.”Set aside special time for your kids weekly, with no distractions. You won’t regret it! When I was younger, I would work very long days at my confectionary business. I always made sure to keep the weekends free for my children.”
2. “No matter how rich you are, going to work every day teaches your children a strong work ethic. If you go every day to a job that you love, then you’ll find happiness, even if it’s hard.”
3. “Be a role model for your children by showing respect to others and your surroundings. Teach them to do everything in the best way possible, and to give it their all.”
4. “Understand that no matter what example you lead for them, your children will make their own decisions in life. Let them take responsibility for their own decisions and actions. It’s part of growing up.”
5. “You don’t have to be loud to be heard by your children. There is power in silence. When children have understood what they’ve done wrong, that’s usually halfway towards the solution.”
6. “Let your kids make mistakes. Warn them about the difficulties, but let them learn for themselves. Don’t scare them too much about what could be. Instill confidence in them.”
7. “Share your favorite things with your kids. I love fishing and I hope that I’ve passed that on to my children.”
8. “The most important things I taught my children were to be stand-up human beings, to be sensitive to others, and to never lose hope.”
9. “Teach your children about their family, so they’ll appreciate where they’re from. When the children were young, my wife would tell them bedtime stories about different family members.”
10. “Regrets? I don’t have any regrets in life. Maybe just not spending even more time with my family. Take advantage of every moment!”
What’s your favorite piece of fatherly advice?
Marilyn Virella
June 23, 2016
So refreshing to see someone held onto their traditional beliefs and kept the teachings going. The youth of today have hardly any guidance and love, so they are lost and floundering. I totally respect Mr. Kristal and commend him for his sharing of wisdom. Keep up the good work, you will be immortal. Thank you for sharing.