Ever look at your kids and wonder who they’ll grow up to be?
It leads to all sorts of other questions, like what as a parent do you want for them? And how do you define success, happiness and fulfillment? What are your values and what matters most?
But then you might look at your kids — laughing, drawing, singing, arranging all their toys just so or dumping all their blocks onto the floor — and realize they’re already who they are. And that maybe our job as parents, in addition to keeping them safe, nurturing them and guiding them to navigate right versus wrong, is to help them keep their them-ness.
And no matter what we want for or expect of them, or whatever they want for or expect of themselves one day, it seems like ultimately the best way for them to achieve it is by living as authentically and true to themselves as possible.
This month, when talk turns to concepts of freedom and independence, it’s worth thinking about what makes our kids specifically and wonderfully them, and how we can raise them so their personal freedom can shine.