Although nobody gets a parenting manual or bible in the delivery room, it is our duty as parents to try to make our kids as well rounded, happy and confident as possible. It is a lot easier to bring up great kids than it is to try and fix problems caused by bad parenting, when our kids have become adults.
Our children are all individuals – they are not our property but people in their own right. Too many people have children for the wrong reasons – they want someone to love them or they want to live on through their kids. Children deserve respect and must be allowed to become their own person. They are not mini versions of their parents – well at least they shouldn’t be.
From the day they are born, kids should be allowed to find their own way in this world and at their own pace. Now, I am not suggesting for a second that you abandon them to their own devices. What I mean is that your role as a parent is similar to that of a coach. You should be there to cheer them on as they move towards different goals, but never try and push them to do something they are not yet ready for.
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