Parents. Where Would We Be Without Them?

    Parents are such a vital part of everybody’s life. They have a great influence over who we are and who we become. Although not everybody has the opportunity to be raised by both their parents or even their birth parents, we all have those parental figures in our lives. They are the ones who help shape us as we grow and develop. We have the parents we want to be like, or even sometimes, the parents we want to do everything we can not to be like. Either way, they still have a huge impact in our lives.

    Right now, I am actually taking a parenting class. It has been quite the experience as I have learned about different parenting styles and just how much impact a parent has on their children’s lives. As I have been going through the class, I have actually been comparing it to my own parents and how they have raised me. In all honesty, it has made me appreciate them more, especially since I realize just how difficult I was as a child.

    I have been talking with my parents quite a bit about how they raised my siblings and I because of my class. I was on the end of my parents’ stricter parenting style. Over the years they have adjusted their parenting style, which is completely normal. One of the things I have learned is that parents are doing everything on a learning curve of their own. In my opinion, us as kids could give them a lot more slack. They are not perfect. None of us are. We are all trying to figure out life and how to navigate it.

    As I think about becoming a parenting myself one day, it excites and terrifies me at the same time. A parent has such a big role in the life of their child. And like I said before, it is a learning curve. When you become a parent, you suddenly have this living thing that you are responsible for. I have an immense amount of respect for all of the parents out there.

    I once heard that there are two types of parents. There are the potters and there are gardeners. Parents who are potters try to mold their kids into what they want them to become. They typically have a lot of expectations and rules that they expect their kids to follow. The gardener parents are the ones who allow their kids the freedom to be themselves while they are only there to guide them and help them reach their potential.

    In my opinion, the ideal parent is the one that is a gardener. They parent with love as they help guide their children to reach their full potential. I know that is how my parents were even though they had strict rules when I was younger. I know that my parents put a lot of love into raising their herd of little rascals.

    Love is the most important aspect of parenting. Even though we will all mess up, if the things we do stem from our love for them and ourselves, our efforts will not go to waste. As we show our kids love and teach them to love, we will see immense return in our efforts.

    Of course, I am not speaking from experience or even including myself in the category of parents. That is something that is in my future, not my present. However, I want to encourage all parents out there. Keep doing your best. I know that I have come to greatly appreciate all of the things that my parents have done for me. I also appreciate all the efforts of parents everywhere. They are the ones who help us become our best selves.