"As a father, I never imagined that this rebellious little boy who lives, eats and uses in my name would one day become my boss," Gates Sr. said in a public speech, which drew laughter from the audience. "But this is the reality."
Gates, 84, was a lawyer in Seattle. Before he retired, he was Preston Gates &; Partner of Ellis Law Firm, later renamed K&; L Gates Law Firm, one of the top ten law firms in the United States, has 1800 lawyers.
From 65438 to 0994, after his wife Mary, who had been with him for 40 years, died of cancer, Gates Sr. always wanted to use all kinds of social work to make him forget his grief, especially his wife's favorite charity. 1When he retired in 1998, Gates Sr. accepted the advice of his son and daughter-in-law Melinda and became the co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Foundation, working for children, and then engaged in charity.
I'm worried that my son has autism.
In the early days of Microsoft's success, when Bill Gates began to become a world celebrity, almost everyone, from reporters in Fortune magazine to cashiers in grocery stores, could not help asking the old Gates this question: "How did you raise such excellent children? What's the secret? "
Faced with such a problem, he often said to himself: "Even if there are unknown secrets, because I don't even know myself!" "
Old Gates was originally named Bill Henry Gates II. His second child, his only son, was born in June 1955. According to family tradition, he would take a word from his own name and give it to his son, so he was named "Bill Gates III". But considering that there are two bills in the family who are easily confused, he decided to use "Trey" (Terry) as his name. In the family's favorite card game, "Trey" refers to a card with three points.
Gates Jr. was born in a typical American middle-class family. After graduating from Washington University Law School, his father, Gates Sr., did not enter the law firm like other students, but chose to return to his hometown of Bremerton, Seattle, and became an agent-this is not a noble career, and he must accumulate experience through trivial and hard work such as representing divorce cases and drunk driving cases. Mother Mary is the daughter of a banker and one of the leaders of the United Charity Federation of America. At the same time, she has to take care of three children, including Bill Gates.
"When I was a child, my father always packed up his folders early and went out to seek legal advice." Bill Gates recalled. He spent most of his childhood with books and his mother. He has read the Encyclopedia of the World for a long time, and often embarrasses his parents with questions such as international relations, economics and what is the essence of life. What the father can do is to keep buying books and borrowing books from the library. He has to return some books to the library in time, so as to lend more books to satisfy his son's endless books.
Old Gates believes that it is very important to cultivate reading interest in Bill Gates' preschool education, thanks to Bill Gates' grandmother Jiami. Old people always like to let their children read story books and guide them from the side. Jamie made them scramble to read the book and discuss it. Therefore, children quickly mastered a large number of vocabulary.
Old Gates made no secret of his hard work in preschool education for Little Gates, piano lessons, physical education class ... even though it turns out that Little Gates doesn't have this specialty.
At that time, Bill Gates could not understand his parents' good intentions. Although he was not infected with the bad habit of rebellious period, his hobby was just reading books and thinking about problems that adults took for granted or had no time to take care of, so that the old Gates couple worried that their son would suffer from autism.
The old Gates and his wife deliberately sought opportunities for him to get in touch with the outside world, such as being a tour guide at a party and doing odd jobs in his father's office. However, Gates Sr believes that family gatherings play a key role in children's growth.
When Bill Gates was very young, the old Gates and his wife began to organize large family gatherings. In Chierno, a suburb of Seattle, you can see this big family every summer. They play games such as two people with three legs and weighing eggs with spoons to cultivate children's sense of cooperation and competition.
"These activities enable children to feel and understand the love from the extended family. I believe these are the factors that help them succeed. " Old Gates said.
Two turning points in Gates' life.
Mary is the daughter of a well-educated banker. For her, Gates Jr. is not smart. He is always late, always biting his pencil, reading while eating, and rarely folding the quilt-this bad habit he brought to Harvard University. Steve Steve ballmer, CEO of Microsoft and Gates alumnus, said, "He often goes into the bedroom without taking off his clothes, and then lies down to sleep. The bed is of course messy, because he never has time to tidy it. " His sister Libby also said, "He is really dirty."
The son's behavior is inconsistent with his mother's. They are always quarrelling about trifles. Old Gates said, "Mary and I both grew up in an old-fashioned family, and we must obey everything our parents say." This mode is not suitable for Teri. "Little Gates, who is in a rebellious period, obviously doesn't want his nagging mother to interfere in his life." He has been emotionally independent since he was eleven or twelve years old. He wants to decide what he wants to do and what he doesn't want to do. This makes us very uncomfortable, especially Mary. "
When a similar conflict broke out at the dinner table again, 1 1 year-old Gates shouted at his mother, and the old Gates, who has always been a mediator, spilled a glass of water on his son's face. Later, they took their son into the psychological clinic.
Bill Gates once recalled his experience of seeing a doctor to Fortune magazine. "The doctor said it was no good against my parents. What my parents do is for my own good. It's so interesting that I actually changed my mind. " The doctor also enlightened the Gates that they should give their son more freedom.
This psychological consultation made the couple make up their minds to transfer their son. They sent Gates Jr. to Lakeside Middle School, one of the most expensive private schools in Seattle, which is famous for its freedom. Various clubs and interest classes in the school allow children to develop their own specialties and hobbies. Little Gates likes the atmosphere of Lakeside Middle School very much, and adults don't pretend. "The teacher gives the problem to the students to solve, instead of directly killing this problem like teachers in other schools."
1967, shortly after the rise of computers in the United States, Hubin Middle School took the lead in setting up computer courses with its avant-garde teaching concept. The school bought a bulky computer with mother's donation, 16 excellent students can enter this study/research/class first. Bill Gates, a top student in mathematics, is one of them. It was here that he met paul allen, a senior high school student two years older than him.
Mr. and Mrs. Gates Sr. have designed Terry's future in their hearts-entering Harvard Law School and becoming a lawyer in the future. 1973, Bill Gates scored 1590 in the SAT (the full mark was 1600 at that time) and was admitted to Harvard Law School. Old Gates' dream is almost half realized.
However, Bill Gates is not interested in any subject except computers. Andy, his Harvard classmate, said, "He always gets through the difficulties wisely. There was an ancient Greek literature class, and he hardly did his homework all semester. He crammed for the exam, but he still got a B. "
When they were sophomores, he and Allen finally couldn't resist the temptation of the computer trend and prepared to "go into the sea". Gates announced to his parents that he decided to drop out of Harvard to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because when he graduated from Harvard, he had "missed the opportunity to change the world".
"Knowing this news, Mary is more worried than I am," said Gates Sr. "Like other parents, we just want our children to get a college degree."
1975, my son left his hometown and went to Albuquerque, New Mexico to start Microsoft. However, the couple expressed their support, because it is very common for college students in the United States to drop out of school and practice in the society. My son also promised them that he would return to Harvard to finish his studies.
Unexpectedly, it was not until 32 years later that the day of "then" came late. In 2007, Harvard Law School decided to award Bill Gates an honorary doctorate in law. He said to the old Gates in the audience, "Dad, I told you I would come back to get my degree!" " "
The Gates Family Behind Microsoft
In the early development of Microsoft, the help of the Gates family played a vital role. After Gates founded Microsoft, his first chance was to cooperate with IBM, which was closely related to the role of his mother Mary.
Mary is a volunteer of the United Charity Federation of America. Through her own efforts, she became the first woman in the history of the association. At the board meeting of the United Charity Federation, she met John Opel, then president of IBM. Through Mary's introduction, Opel knew the existence of Microsoft.
Microsoft was trying to sell MS-DOS to IBM at that time, hoping that IBM's computers could be equipped with this working platform. Bill Gates is facing a powerful competitor-Digital Research Company, which developed the world's first widely used microcomputer operating system. When Opel reviewed Microsoft's proposal, he immediately said, "Oh! This is mary gates's son. " Employees of IBM said that Gates' mother played the role of recommender for her son, which made Gates win the favor of IBM.
Microsoft finally stood on the shoulders of the "blue giant", MS-DOS operating system was adopted by IBM, and Gates' specialty also left a deep impression on IBM. "That's a smarter young man than his age-a programming genius. His innate intuition taught him how to strive for a favorable cooperative relationship with IBM. " An IBM executive said.
When IBM offered to buy the patent of MS-DOS, Bill Gates wisely refused. After that, many computer manufacturers adopted MS-DOS as the operating system of their products, which greatly increased the value of Microsoft.
From 65438 to 0978, Bill Gates decided to move his company back to Seattle, where people lived, because no elite wanted to work in the desert of Albuquerque and he wanted to communicate with his family at any time. "Every Sunday I go home and talk to my parents about the challenges I face, and then get some advice. Going home is decompression. "
In Seattle, Gates Sr. used his experience in guiding small and medium-sized enterprises to help Microsoft, and his law firm provided legal support for Microsoft. He invited businessmen from Seattle to join the board of Microsoft. Mr. and Mrs. Gates Sr. also introduced Warren Buffett to their son through friends. And Bill Gates' sister, Christie, who works at Deloitte, also provided professional financial guidance for Microsoft.
1986, 1 1 Microsoft was finally listed. In just one year, Microsoft's share price increased sixfold, and Gates became a billionaire. According to Forbes, his net worth in 1987 has reached125 billion dollars.
"I remember in the 1980s, Mary and Terry's grandmother and I drove to Microsoft headquarters for the first time. The first Microsoft building is under construction, and the other building is laying the foundation. This feeling is very special, much more real than profit data or commercial media. " Old Gates said.
In a speech after 1998 joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Old Gates complained about his son in a joking tone. "It turns out that when people mention Bill Gates, they are talking about me. Which company in Seattle chooses a spokesperson? I'm not the hottest candidate. That is also a backup. " He reminded the audience to be careful when naming their children. As his son's fame overshadowed himself, he automatically changed his name to Bill Gates Sr. "Look at me, I don't even have a name now. I not only added a prefix' (senior'), but also reported it to my son. "
Of course, this is just a joke, and the pride of old Gates is beyond words.
Dialogue with Gates Sr.
I was disappointed when Gates Jr. dropped out of school.
Reporter: Is it strange that the name Gates has a high appeal in China?
Old Gates: I have been all over the world, and I have always been surprised by the fame of the surname "Gates". Sometimes, I feel a little annoyed-since my son used the same name as me, I no longer have the patent for this name that I have enjoyed for many years, and occasionally I feel degraded-but this feeling is immediately replaced by the feeling of being proud of my son. I hope China's family understands that the life of the Gates family is the same as theirs-our parenting experience is no different from theirs. Although the name "Gates" enjoys high popularity, we are just one of ordinary people.
Reporter: When educating children, adults always say: You should be like me in the future, or never be like your parents. What did you say to your son? Do you want him to follow in his footsteps Have you ever been disappointed after he chose a completely different path?
Old Gates: I wish I had never said to my children, "Be like me in the future, not like me". Our principle has always been to do our best and pursue our dreams. After Bill dropped out of Harvard University, I was not only depressed, but also worried about his future-what if he didn't have a college degree? But now I'm sure that the children followed our teaching and tried their best to dream-but in the eyes of my son at that time, I didn't have the ability to dream.
Reporter: Has Gates ever let you down? Including his dropout?
Old Gates: As I said just now, I was disappointed and shocked by his dropping out of school, but it turns out that he chose the most correct path. As parents, there is no better reward.
Reporter: You have always been very low-key and modest. Don't you want to put too much pressure on your son?
Gates Sr: I have a lot to be modest about. I remind myself every day. If I don't do this, many people will do the same. This is my nature, and I won't be different because of my son or daughter.
Reporter: What's your attitude towards raising children?
Gates Sr: Respect and honest communication and love.
Reporter: Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. He donated a lot of money to charity. What is your family's attitude towards wealth?
Old Gates: When I was young, I was always afraid of living in poverty. Growing up during the Great Depression, I began to understand the significance of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. To spend money wisely, you need to work hard to earn money. I still have this idea.
Reporter: Why did you still devote yourself to the Gates Foundation, the largest charity in the world, when you were 80 years old?
Gates Sr: Because I still feel the need, I also have the ability to help others. I think we are all members of this cause, and I have the responsibility and will to be a useful member of this planet.
Reporter: What changes does your family want charity to bring to society?
Gates Sr: I don't know. I can only say that charity will eventually make the world a better place.