The Benefits of Parenting

Parenting is one of the most important things we will experience in our lives. It is not just about providing your children with a roof over their heads, food in their mouths, and clothes on their backs. Parenting is also about how we mold our children to become the people we want them to be. You cannot think that your children will just raise themselves; that is like the blind leading the blind. They need help and guidance from an active parent or parents. Active parenting requires being present and involved, but still letting your children learn from things like natural consequences; you cannot do everything for them.

Children benefit from parenting because they are able to learn from example. They see what their parents do and, if they look up to their parents and think what they are doing is right, they want to grow up and become just like their parents. That is why it is so important to instill our values into our children, so that way they will grow up valuing what we think is important. Not to say that they cannot think for themselves and decide on their own what they want to value, but it is good to give them a solid jumping off point by showing them what we value. After that all you can do is continue to uphold those values and hope they choose to do the same.

Parents also help to prepare their children for real life. They teach them things like how to save money, pay tithing, budget, work hard, cook, clean, and many other skills that will make it possible for them to live on their own. This is what my parents did for me. Like I mentioned in an earlier blog post, my parents taught me so much about working hard. I have been able to get great jobs that are willing to work with my schedule because my parents taught me the value of hard work. If it was not for them I would not be as good of an employee as I am, and my bosses would not be as willing to make accommodations for me in order for me to want to keep working for them. I also would not be debt free, with ample savings, and a car if they had not taught me money management skills.

The thing is, it is not just parents that teach their children. I know it is a cliche, but children really do help to teach their parents. Children help parents patience and humility. Raising children is not easy and it takes stepping back and realizing that taking care of children requires time and effort. You also learn new things, or perhaps relearn things you forgot you knew, as you teach your children. When they need help with their math homework, you will have to remember how to teach them long division, even though you do most math now with a calculator. You will also have to remember how to ride a bike, so that way you can teach them. They also show you how to be a kinder person and that sometimes you have to put others needs ahead of your own.

I am so grateful for my parents and all that they taught me. I am the person I am today because of them and I cannot wait to be a parent myself one day so I can teach my children the same values my parents taught me. They might even help me learn a thing or two that I did not know about myself.