People don't know how to think for themselves, they just repeat what they've heard. For as long as I can remember, my father would usually respond to any question I asked by simply saying, “Think.” He would leave me for awhile to try to figure things out by myself. No whining allowed. Then he would come back to see what I came up with, and offer any guidance necessary. He also always preached that I should not try to be like the “average” person, because the “average” person was not a good example of what to strive for. You seem like a good father to your children. I just wrote my first Medium article, because I, too, feel a frustration with trying to reach adults.