Father and son road trip: A lesson in humility

A few years ago I did some pro-bono motivational presentations at a couple of secondary schools and decided to take my son Eru along for a father-son road trip. The first school we went to was Paeroa College and they put us up at a Paeroa motel the evening before the presentation. After a delicious breakfast my son commented that the motel was pretty flash and the food was awesome; which it was. I enjoyed presenting at Paeroa College and Eru joined me for the haka at the end, before we went on to our next engagement.

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The second presentation was to Westlake BoysHighandtheyputusupina5star hotel on Auckland’s North Shore. As we walked into our room Eru said, “Man Papa, this is a bit different to the Paeroa motel aye?” – and it was.

The next morning I presented at a Father- Son breakfast in the hotel. From there we went to the college to present to around 2000 students and staff. Eru joined me again for our haka and we received a haka from the students, which was followed by the longest standing ovation I have received to date.

We also did a couple of small group leadership presentations before leaving late that afternoon. As we drove away from the college Eru looked at me and said,”Man Papa I am so glad you brought me on this road trip, thank you.”

Thinking I could turn this into a reflection time for him I asked,” Why do you say that bro? What is the most important thing you have learnt from this road trip?”

Eru thought for a while before replying, “Well, if I don’t get a real job, I could always do what you do and become a Professional Speaker!”

I laughed aloud, and when he realised what he had said he laughed too.

Screen Shot 2014-08-15 at 12.17.29 pmMy son and I made many memorable moments on that road trip but the most significant memory occurred on our trip home from Auckland to Rotorua. Before leaving the college I had changed out of my suit into casual jeans and tee shirt. We were an hour out of Auckland, and because we were both very tired, decided to pull over at a rest area and have a catnap. Unfortunately I left the car lights on and when we awoke just on dusk the car would not start.

It took over two hours of trying to get help from passing motorists before anyone stopped. Many people would slow down, take one look at my ta moko and drive off quickly. After finally getting a jump-lead start from a Good Samaritan we were on our way again and I said to my son, “Today we have been given a lesson in humility; we woke up in a five star hotel, one minute you can be on a stage receiving a standing ovation from 2000 people and the next you can be standing on the side of a road stranded because people do not want to know you. Remember this day Eru; this is our road trip lesson in humility.”

I have often reflected on that experience and how I could have shortened our time on the side of the road. One thing I could have done is change back into my suit. So what are your road trip lessons that have contributed to who you are? As educators do you make the most of opportunities for everyone involved to reflect and learn? Hopefully you will not be stranded on the side of the road too often, or at least if you are, you will have a suit you could change into.

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Ngahi Bidois


Ngahihi o te ra Bidois
Ngahihi o te ra Bidois is an international keynote
speaker, businessman, author, husband, father,
columnist and MBA. A Maori Boy from Awahou.
For more information, visit:
www.ngahibidois.com