David Beckham to kids, parents: 'It's a good thing to make a mistake'
Professional footballer, living legend, and style icon David Beckham has advice for kids who are still trying to find out what they want to be in life.
"It's a good thing to make a mistake," he told GMANetwork.com in an interview.
The 44-year-old celebrity endorser was recently in town for the Live Better Expo, a wellness and protection summit organized by AIA Philam Life at the Enderun Colleges in McKinley Hill, Taguig last Sunday.
David, who has been the global ambassador of AIA since 2017, also held a football clinic for kids aged 8 to 12 years at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig. This project aimed to instill upon the kids confidence, camaraderie, and all the positive values that would help them lead healthier, better lives in the future.
It was during that football clinic David learned that kids these days are easily disheartened when things do not go their way. In turn, David reminded them that mistakes are what teach people to be tougher and wiser.
"You know, I spoke to some kids during this week and they said about making mistakes and how it upsets them.
"But I always say, 'It's a good thing to make a mistake because it means you have to learn from that mistake.'
"You know even as adults, we still make mistakes. But it's about how you react to those things.
Instead of being bogged down by mistakes, he takes them as a "challenge" to make himself better.
"Challenging myself is always something that I like to do," he said.
"I think every day is a challenge.
"There's always something during the day that comes up that makes you challenged to do something better or to do things right."
Asked what challenge he's taken on recently, the good-looking English man answered in jest, "My new challenge would probably be not drinking coffee past one o'clock."
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PARENTING ADVICE
David also offered sound advice for parents who like to impose upon their kids their own wants and ambitions.
"Let them do whatever they wish to do," he shared with GMANetwork.com, "because everybody has their dreams."
He quickly added while parents let their children make choices of their own, they should offer them guidance.
"You have to obviously stay on top and stay in control of kids because that's their way of learning. You have to teach them in a right manner and the right way.
"They have to know that there are boundaries, because I think it's in every walk of life."
David added that none of his four kids with his wife Victoria--Brooklyn Joseph (20), Romeo James (17), Cruz David (14), and daughter Harper Seven (8)--want to follow in his footsteps.
And he's fine with it.
"None of my children at the moment want to be a footballer. And that's okay.
"That's okay, because you don't want to force anybody into doing anything. It's not what should happen."
But if one of his kids do decide to become a footballer later on, David promises to give him or her his 100 percent.
"If my children turn around to me and say, 'Actually Daddy, I don't want to sing anymore, I want to play football,' then they would have the support of everything that me and Victoria can give to them.
"We've always supported our kids in whatever they want to do. Obviously we can guide them in a way where it's very supportive.
"It's important to show kids love, support, encouragement.
"Like I said you also have to teach them manners, and the boundaries that we all want for our children."