Tag Archive for ‘Parenting’

Josh Ginter:

I do not believe, barring the opportunity to meet my Heavenly Father, there is anything greater in life than being a parent. It’s the pinnacle of responsibility — providing and protecting a helpless, innocent, perfect baby, and providing for the little one’s mother, who herself requires a partner to help her with life. It’s the pinnacle of meaning — seeing little versions of yourself learning, growing, and exploring the wide, wonderful world. It’s the pinnacle of self-realization — realizing you sacrificed the child you once were to put on the shoes of an adult who puts their family before themselves.

You cannot experience any of this without being a parent.

There is nothing more challenging or more rewarding than raising children. And for the vast majority of people, there is nothing that they will ever do in their life that has a bigger impact on the world.

➝ Source: thenewsprint.co

Chris Hannah:

For quite some time, I felt like I was ageing, and I was gaining more life experiences. But I was still the same 18-year old, just with a few more grey hairs, and a bit more money. That’s because I didn’t have any major responsibilities. I could skip meals, go to bed late, go to the pub, or even stay at work late. 

But once I became a parent, everything changed. My daughter needed feeding, a routine, enough sleep, and me to be present.

For years I expected some kind of moment where I would feel ready to be an adult. When that didn’t happen, I thought that maybe real adults didn’t exist.

But now I think that you only really become an adult when you need to be one. In reaction to your environment. You don’t get to wait until you feel qualified. It’s a response to necessity. You become an adult because you need to be an adult.

➝ Source: codeandculture.uk

Shawn Blanc:

If 100% of our down time is filled with passive entertainment and bits of information, then when does our mind have a chance to be calm? When do we have a moment to think without needing to think?

For those of us with children, not only do we have to make room for boredom in our own lives, we also have to make sure our children are given opportunities to be bored as well. Which is quite the challenge when our society has been blessed with so much abundance.

➝ Source: shawnblanc.net

Josh Ginter:

You really can give your children too much. This is a very modern and very first-world problem, but it’s very much a problem. Sometimes, parents focus so much on helping out their children that they forget to let their children fight their own battles.

This is particularly applicable to RESPs or big-time events like weddings and down payments. Children have to learn to save their own money. You can help them, but don’t starve your own life to save money for your children.

This is so true. As difficult as it might be, a parent should spend the first 18 or so years of their child’s life slowly pulling back, helping them less and less as time goes on. You can think of it as a bar graph with two values — independence and dependence — as their dependence on you shrinks, their independence grows. I’m sure it becomes more difficult as your child grows older and their need for you dwindles, but it’s crucial that they are able to eventually take care of themselves.

That goes for financial independence, their ability to make tough decisions on their own, and just about every other aspect of life.

In other words, your success as a parent is in some part measured by how little your child needs you as they grow older.

➝ Source: toonie.substack.com