Mike's Minute: It's a joy to see your kids living their dreams

We sat in London last Wednesday night at a place called Bocconcino in Berkeley Square. We were celebrating our daughter’s birthday. Her partner had picked the place. It’s flash. It’s in a beautiful building. It’s Italian. The food was very good. The service, however, was rubbish. I only mention that to remind ourselves that we moan a lot in this country about service, or the lack of it. And we have every right to moan. But we are not unique. For all the anecdotal stuff you hear about the world being perfect, the vibe being electric, and the hospo scene being buzzing — it’s not always true. You can be in one of the better joints in one of the great cities and still be left wanting — even more so when they automatically charge you a 60 quid service fee when there wasn’t any real service. Anyway, one of the lessons of the trip was this: three of our kids were involved. One dropped off in New York for a job, and two visited because they live their lives on the other side of the world. This feeds into another of the great debates we’ve been having in this country — why are all the young people leaving? My conclusion? Why on earth wouldn’t they? And not because NZ has nothing to offer, but because the world is massive, and opportunities abound. If you can’t take them when you’re young, when can you? None of our kids are offshore because they hate New Zealand. They are offshore because they are curious — and don’t we want curious young people? They aren’t down on us. They are exploring and chasing dreams. The idea that you can chase a dream, and it must be done here, is absurd. Sure, some have left because times have been tight, but none of ours have gone for that reason — and I suspect that’s true of most young Kiwis. We are not inferior because of an inquisitive generation. When you can weekend in Copenhagen or the Greek Islands, when Hyde Park is your garden, when you can earn pounds — why on earth wouldn’t you? As a parent, all you can do is be filled with joy for them. Three young people living their dreams — who could ask for more? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.