On Sunday's Grammys, after winning an award for "Holy Grail," a collaboration with Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z told his daughter, Blue Ivy, that "Daddy got a gold sippy cup for you." The reference, of course, was a joke, and playing on the gold gramophone that does bear an uncanny resemblance to a sippy cup, but essentially the award was for his daughter.
Jay-Z has been in the music business long before Blue Ivy was a glint in his eye, but now that he's a daddy, everything he's ever done is inadvertently for his child.
Okay, I know I'm not making much sense here. Allow me to explain.
When you're a parent, and you accomplish goals you've set for yourself, the award you reap is two-fold. There's the personal satisfaction you gain from attaining something via hard work, and then there's the example you set for your children in doing so. Your goal doesn't have to be something having to do with your child, but the mere act of accomplishing it speaks volumes to a kid. It teaches them the importance of hard work; shows them that failure isn't necessarily a bad thing; and how having dreams is crucial.
I don't think Blue Ivy is the sole reason Jay-Z does what he does since he's been making music way before he became a father, but it's different for him now. Not only does he likely always, or at least often, keep his child in mind when he sets out to do something, his accomplishments are something to share now. They're not just his, they're his family's, and that's a beautiful thing.
In other news, you know that isn't the only gold sippy cup Blue Ivy has.
Do you work hard to set a good example for your child?
Image via CBS