Navigating the parenting maze is tricky, especially when it comes to balancing support and independence. The podcast dives into how parents can help without making their kids helpless. Inspired by a Plutarch principle, it emphasizes teaching kids responsibility and encouraging them to make their own decisions. Listeners learn the importance of modeling the right behavior and the idea that we are ultimately responsible for our own lives. It's about being involved but not doing everything for them.
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Help, But Don't Make Them Helpless
Help your kids, but avoid making them helpless.
Teach them how to do things, rather than doing everything for them.
insights INSIGHT
Plutarch's Principle
A good principle for parents is to do anything for their kids, but not everything.
This balance helps kids develop independence and problem-solving skills.
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There is so much to do. Your kids have to be dressed. They have to eat. They have go to school. They have to do well in school. They’ll need jobs. They’ll need to figure out finding a home, finding a spouse, navigating the difficulties of the world.
There is so much to do...and they are so bad at all of it. So where does a parent draw the line? How do you know where to help, what to handle for them, what to tell them doesn’t matter and they don’t have to worry about?
Of course, there are no rules. No one can give you a perfect list: Pay for their college, but not their car. Cook them food but don’t do their homework for them. Clean the kitchen but not their room.
So maybe instead we should look for a good principle to follow instead. Perhaps this one from Plutarch would work: "A leader should do anything,” he said, “but not everything."
A great leader is never above rolling up their sleeves. Like a great dad, they’ll do anything for their family or their organization. But they also know they can’t do everything. It’s not good for them or for anyone else.
The Daily Dad