Many parents feel overwhelmed by societal pressures regarding success, from school choices to perfect schedules. The discussion pivots to what true parental success means: not just healthy kids, but a lifetime of meaningful relationships. Asserting that crowded tables at holidays symbolize this success, the podcast contrasts superficial parenting methods with a focus on nurturing connections. It advocates for planting seeds of love and happiness, emphasizing that the goal is to foster compassionate bonds that last well beyond childhood.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Prioritize Relationships
Focus on building strong relationships with your children now.
This will lead to a close-knit family in the future.
insights INSIGHT
Redefining Parental Success
True parental success isn't about external achievements like prestigious schools.
It's about fostering close relationships and a 'crowded table' in the future.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Nurturing Relationships
Nurture your relationship with your children by listening without judgment, being supportive, and loving unconditionally.
Manage your temper to create a positive environment.
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Right now, you’re thinking about what all the other parents are doing. What schools they’re getting their kids into. What the best strollers are. You’re thinking about how to get them to do their homework or how to keep their rooms clean. How to manage your life and career and staying in shape. It’s overwhelming and you’re stressed.
Every dad is.
So maybe it’s helpful to sit back and really think about what parental success really looks like. First, of course, it’s having healthy kids who survive to adulthood—that’s obvious. But second, when you flash way forward into the future, what is it? It’s that beautiful phrase captured in The Highwomen hit—it’s having a crowded table. At Thanksgiving. On birthdays. At some summer house on the beach you all rented as a family. That is: having kids who you get to see, who you have a good relationship with, who you want to spend time with...for the rest of your days.
Tiger Moms and Tiger Dads might raise Harvard grads, but will they have crowded tables? Snowplow parents might feel important for the first eighteen years of their kids’ lives, but will those kids resent them for spoiling and sheltering them? Instead of a crowded table, might their house be crowded with kids who have failed to launch?
Some of the best lyrics in the Highwomen song capture the path forward for a dad who is looking forward to those crowded table days:
If we want a garden
We're gonna have to sow the seed
Plant a little happiness
Let the roots run deep
If it's love that we give
Then it's love that we reap
If we want a garden
We're gonna have to sow the seed
If you want a crowded table, you’ll need to plant the seeds. You’ll need to make the decisions now so they’ll want to make the decision to fly from their homes to yours when they’re older and have families of their own. That means listening without judgment. That means being a fan and a supporter. That means loving unconditionally. That means managing your temper. You’ll need to set the table today to have the one you’ll want tomorrow.
The Daily Dad