Living: the ultimate team sport

Influencing Young Lives

Posted on June 1, 2026 Updated on June 1, 2026

As adults, can we influence the lives of those far younger than us? Yes, we can.

That influence can be good or it can be bad so it’s important to pay attention to what we’re saying with our words, and with our actions.

My sister, Mary Riesche, inspired this blog post from an event that happened 10 years ago.

For several weeks the summer of 2016, Mary taught an art class at a summer program at a small California town where she resides. As is often the case when parents sign their kids up for activities, not every child is enthusiastic about being forced to have fun with others.

That was the case for one of Mary’s students in her weekly classes. A thirteen year old boy couldn’t have cared less that my sister volunteered her time to pass along her passion for painting to the young participants. His weekly modus operandi was to quickly, and haphazardly, make whatever project my sister put before him, followed by him then crossing his arms while the rest of the children worked painstakingly to create what Mrs. Riesche had taught them to create.

During one particular class, the thirteen year old said that he didn’t like what he had done; that he needed to erase it or better yet, give up on the project. My sister stepped in and said the following to him, and I paraphrase:

Never give up, just keep going. You never know when what you consider to be a mistake may eventually turn into something remarkable.

As the very last art class of the summer session came to a close, the Director queried the children, “What did you learn from your time in Mrs. Riesche’s art classes this summer?” What happened next caught my sister totally off guard. The thirteen year old boy raised his hand, and said, “That I should never give up. That I should keep going regardless of how I feel about something.”

And there, my friends, is influence in action.

I told my sister that I was certain this young boy would carry that lesson on tenacity with him into high school, college, and beyond. Perhaps he won’t remember the art teacher who made that lasting impression on him – I’d like to think that he will – but he will most certainly remember the sage advice my sister bestowed on him the summer of 2016. I am certain that as a now 23-year old young man, my sister’s influence has made him a better human being.

Congratulations, Mary. You changed a child’s life forever.