Sacrifice

Greetings and Salutations,

I was talking the other day with my friend about raising children and she was saying that if you are to be a good parent, you are to make sacrifices and not be selfish. I argued that it's important if you are a parent to also take care of your self and nurture yourself emotionally and mentally, otherwise you will never be a good parent. You will snap. You will get angry. You will not be in control of your children unless you are in control of yourself. I don't believe in putting children first. I think if you always put yourself first, you'll naturally be able to handle the challenges life and your children throws at you.

My friend may think that is selfish but I don't. I know that children pick up lots of behaviours from their parents unconsciously and parents teach (or not teach in many cases) their children things unconsciously as well. Whether you learn to get angry over little things or you choose to calmly deal with things, largely the way a parent handles adversity and their personality and attitude has a direct influence on their children, whether they intend to or not.

So that is why I argue that a good parent always makes sure they take care of themselves and ensure that they eat, sleep, socialize, get mental and emotional stimulation and whatever else that helps to keep them healthy. A parent may not get 100% of their needs met, but I think it's important that they do their best.

Many people argue that parenting also requires sacrifice. I don't believe in that word and therefore do not use it. I think anyone who is thinking about having children should realize that it is a large responsibility. Many people don't even realize that even after they become parents. As far as I am concerned, if you want to raise mentally and emotionally healthy children, there are certain techniques that you need to implement for your children and for yourself as you cannot lead if you yourself are a poor example to your children.

One example I can cite is my friend had new neighbors move in and they happen to sell pot. They are vile people and have one daughter. They all smoke up at home. The daughter is only 13 and they let her 'boyfriend' sleep over and she cusses up quite a storm. Would she get away with this behaviour if her parents were more stable? Probably not.

I don't see raising children as making a sacrifice. I see that as doing what it takes to get the job done - no matter how challenging your children may be to you, as many times the problems your children create may be due to a weakness within the parent. We all have to decide what are our priorities and goals are and focus our minds on achieving those aims. That is why I don't believe in the concept of sacrifice because what I see in reality is doing the work that needs to be done to achieve the aims you desire. You get rid of what doesn't work and keep what works.

Although my friend said I probably wouldn't make a good mother, she has yet to see what I am like with children and so I am confident in my ability to raise children, when the time is right. Mental preparation is the key to achieving anything and being conscious of what kind of parent you want to be and what kind of children you want to raise will help to keep you aligned when things get out of line and tough and when you lose your focus.