When I was 5, my grandfather who was a general contractor wanted me to be an architect. When I was 7, he told me that I needed to become a civil engineer. At age 10, I announced that I was going to become a bishop but ended up removing my hat from consideration when as a tween I realized that bishops had to be celibate. No thank you, not for me. At about that time my father, a medical equipment manufacturer, wanted me to be a doctor and my grandfather was still pushing hard for the civil engineering gig. I didn't even know what an architect was, and when I asked I was told that he is the man who builds houses. "Then what is a builder grandpa?" I asked, but received no good answer. I didn't even bother asking him what a civil engineer was, resolving that it was probably an engineer who was polite. Wrong, but not for me just the same.

So, now that a new school year has just started, how do you feel? Yes, I am talking to you Moms and Dads. Are you happy that your kid is finally out of your hair for the next nine months, more or less, or do you feel a sense of loss and perhaps some nervousness as to how your child will weather the new beginning. Whatever your reaction, happy, nervous, concerned, or a mix of the above, it is normal. In my case, the story always ended with "I waved back, got in my car, and wiped off tears."

August 27, 1976, seems so long ago but it feels like yesterday. It was on that day that I took my first steps on American soil at JFK airport determined to make a life on my own.  I had left my loving family in Greece to join a host family in the Boston area as an exchange student, in search of a future that I hoped I'd have a hand in influencing instead of accepting what was served to me by the status quo.  So without language skills, or knowledge of people or culture, I set out to prove to myself that I could.

Another school year just started or is soon to start, and you along with your children are looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. New school year means new beginnings, but it should also mean different beginnings, avoiding mistakes or irritating situations of years past, and establishing new habits that will serve as the platform to your child’s character formation. As the new school year commences, here are 3 Things to adopt that will have a great impact on your life and your child's character in the future.

Congratulations Mom and Dad. You survived the teenage years! You and I both know, you deserve a damn medal just for that. You taught them what they need to know to thrive in the world, and now they are off to college. But did you teach them proper financial management? Managing a college student's cash flow is imperative to the habits they establish for life and keeps you away from having to have unpleasant discussions with them and bridging their shortfall.

No, I am not a Human Resource guru, an industrial psychologist, a professional career strategist, or a personnel recruiter.  I am a business person who over the past 20 years has hired well over 1,000 people, counseled the careers of more than 100 persons of all ages, and coached the interviews of dozens with a perfect success record.  Impressed?  Don’t be.  I gave you this background only to illuminate the origin of my advice in the lines to come.