It was raining hard.  

I looked up to the skies just before stepping outside and said, ‘What horrible weather.’ 

My son looked at me, baffled. ‘What are you talking about, Daddy? We don’t mind a bit of rain.’ 

He was right. We don’t. You know why? Because ever since he could walk, I’ve said the same thing to him whenever we’ve been out in it.  

It’s a message I’ve reinforced countless times over the years. And now it’s hard-coded into his operating system. That’s why he was genuinely surprised to hear me say ‘what horrible weather’. 

Clearly, it was nonsense. Clearly, I was mistaken. Clearly, I’d lost my way and needed reminding. 

‘Of course we don’t mind the rain,’ I said. ‘What on earth was Daddy on about?’ 

There’s a lot to unpack in that brief exchange. 

1) Positive reinforcement is effective. 2) Our worldview is shaped by those around us. 3) We all need reminding of our own advice from time to time. 

Some of my fondest memories of hanging out with my son have featured torrential downpours – so of course we don’t mind a bit of rain. 

After all, it’s only rain.