ABOUT THE BOOK - EXCERPT FROM THE PARENTING GUIDANCE SECTION

Mom and Dad Are Always So Busy

THE SPECIAL INFLUENCE OF PARENTS ON THEIR CHILDREN

As parents, we have the greatest impact on our children, even though we often have fewer hours with them than their teachers and other caregivers do. Part of the reason we are the most important people to our kids is that we have a loving lifelong commitment to them and we care more about them than anyone else does. We would do anything possible for them. That is what defines parents. In contrast, teachers have many children who are their focus—different children every year. Parents’ huge impact comes from caring so deeply about who our children are now, and what we need to do to guide them, always with an eye to what is best for them currently and in the future.
We want to teach our children our most important values and help them become happy people who are successful in finding their own interests and skills. We want them to know how to form and maintain meaningful and caring relationships with others. Our goal is for them to have satisfying and productive lives.

When our children are adults, most of us hope that they will choose to have children of their own. We also hope that they will have learned from us that there are many ways to have enough time to raise and enjoy their children while also working and gaining satisfaction from their chosen career.