Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant will live on in the hearts of many who knew them, even more so in Vanessa Bryant, who delivered a beautiful eulogy during Monday’s public memorial at the Staples Center. Vanessa Bryant’s eulogy honoured the life and times of her husband and her 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
8 Parenting Lessons From Vanessa Bryant’s Eulogy
Millions around the world knew Kobe for his exploits on the court, but many also came to know him for his closeness with his daughter Gianna, whose personal coach he was until their death. The many images of Kobe with his daughter tell the story of what family and parenting meant to him. And this was made even clearer in his wife’s eulogy at the public memorial. Below are parenting lessons from the eulogy:
- Appreciate your child’s loving gestures
As your child grows, he or she becomes eager for your gestures of love as a parent. More often than not they want to give back as a way of showing that they love you. Recognise these gestures and ask for them even when your child forgets, because this way they know that you appreciate it. When Vanessa doesn’t get a kiss from Gigi, she texts to remind her. “She knew how much her kiss meant to me and kissed me every day,” she said.
- Encourage your child to explore
Sometimes you may be tempted to limit your child to a few things because you don’t want to create distractions from important things like school. But some children are naturals who can do it all. Provide guidance and support whenever your child wants to try something new. “She knew how to read, speak and write Mandarin,” Vanessa said of Gigi. Also, she knew Spanish, had great grades and kept them up all while becoming an incredible basketball player.”
- Teach your child to have a personality and be proud of it
Society is structured in a way that doesn’t let people live their lives to the fullest purely as themselves. To be clear, there’s a difference between not conforming here and going around breaking rules. One concerns the general quality of life and the other is a written order within a particular system. Gianna wore what was comfortable for her, not what anyone thought she should be wearing. “Gianna never tried to conform,” her mother said. “She was always herself.”
- Express love to your partner
Two parents are the model of love their child would grow up with. The way you love each other, the things you do for each other, and the way you talk to each other gives your child a picture of what love looks like. “I looked forward to Valentine’s Day and our anniversaries every year,” Vanessa said. “He planned special anniversary trips and a special traditional gift for every year of our marriage.”
- No preference for the male gender
This is a common thing especially in Africa ,where they reserve certain things for the boys. If you watched Kobe in the media you knew that he had no problem with Gigi following in his basketball footsteps. Vanessa said that “he wanted Natalia to take over his company and he wanted us to travel the world together.”
- Complement your child often
The highest praise a child can get is from their parents. So make it a habit to compliment your child when they do good things, remind them how beautiful and smart they are. “He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are,” Vanessa remarked of Kobe.
Image: Blast
When it comes to parenting, the best gift you can give to your children is to be present in their lives. Be present on their birthdays, pick them up from school, and attend their graduation ceremony. Speaking about Kobe’s presence, Vanessa said, “He was a doting father, a father that was hands-on and present. He helped me bathe Bianka and Capri almost every night.”
There will always be things your child enjoys doing, but if those aren’t there, then you may need to introduce one or two. Whether it’s the movies, sports, books, outings or anything else. Each presents a chance of bonding with your child. Vanessa said, “He shared a love of movies and breakdown of films with Natalia, enjoyed taking Natalia to watch the newest films and they would have movie marathons and he enjoyed every second of it.”
In Vanessa Bryant’s eulogy for Kobe and Gianna Bryant, we can see the love and hard work they put in to raise their kids in a loving and well rounded home. So, as we praise the legacy of Kobe Bryant, may we be inspired to do more with our kids.
Listen to her speech here on Fox Sports:
Also read: An Open Letter To Vanessa Bryant: Living In A World Without Kobe And Gianna
