Who is the teacher and who is the student? For the average parent, this can be a question we find ourselves asking as we notice how much we learn and expand from our role as caretaker and guide. While many of us may have gotten into parenting because we felt we had something to offer, we quickly find that we are on the receiving end of so many lessons too.
In my own life, I have to admit that some of life’s most poignant lessons have come to me through parenting. My children have been a huge mirror for my own behaviors and they have pushed me to grow and develop in very intimate ways—more than any other challenges or relationships in my life. I cannot imagine who I would be without these lessons or in what other ways life would have taught them to me! It is through my children that I have learned humble and selfless and I have also learned how to give of myself without feeling like I am sacrificing.
On the other side of the coin, parenting has also taught me how to care for myself, say “no” and mean it, and establish clear and healthy boundaries. I am amazed that my children could have taught me how to both give of myself and when to hold back and not become overly enmeshed. My children have taught me how to be there for someone else and not lose myself in the process.
From my children I have also learned flexibility, tolerance for chaos and ambiguity, and the ability to love completely unconditionally. Sure, maybe I could have learned this life truth from keeping pets but I doubt the lessons would have been nearly as altering as the ones I have learned from my kids!
See Also: Lessons we can Learn from Children
How Much Forgiveness Should we Model?