The Importance of Parenting (and Grandparenting)
Parents of young kids know the importance of their role in the lives of impressionable, developing human beings. It’s spewed across the news, your social media feed, and any mom or parenting blog or website you’ve ever traveled to. And that doesn’t even include the studies done on the impact parents have on their children between the ages of 0-8. According to the CDC, the first 8 years of a child’s life can build a foundation for future learning, health, and life success.
No pressure or anything.
As a mom of two boys, 5 and almost 2, I’ve had many parents say to my husband and me, “you’re in the thick of it.” Since our children are both still pretty dependent on us, our time and patience are demanded daily, hourly, and sometimes minute-by-minute. However, this thought process comes from someone who has no idea what’s on the other side of this 8-and-under parenting game. So, the jury is out for me on when our involvement as parents starts to shift, if at all.
But I am a daughter, so I know what it’s like to be the “kid” in the 8 and older scenario. And this is why it’s easy for me to come up with 5 reasons parents are so important.
1. Parents help kids develop skills
Think of how you learned to ride a bike as a kid. Most likely than not, a parent or parent-like figure was there to help teach you. Aside from the time they spend in school with teachers, a parent is the adult kids go to when they have questions or need help.
2. Parents plant foundational seeds
As parents, we teach our children the morals, values, and beliefs we practice. What they learn to build their foundation will carry them through endless situations in life from age 3 to age 93. We always remember the OG things we were taught as children. Whether we abide by them at different stages of life could be another thing.
3. Parents provide support
Have you ever seen a child have a temper tantrum or meltdown? More likely than not, a parent is on the receiving end, helping the child work through these and other big emotions as they grow. We are the shoulders to lean on for a toddler meltdown, teenager meltdown, or fellow parent meltdown.
4. Parents become role models
If you decide to become a parent, you’ve had a front-row seat to role models your entire life, specifically your parents. You take the pieces of parenting that you felt were awesome, even if that might not have been the case in the moment, and apply them to your parenting. Without knowing it, parents create a blueprint for parenting as they play out their roles, both the pros and cons, with impressionable eyes on them throughout the process.
5. Parents continuously nurture
If you bring grandchildren into the world for your parents, they will love your children in such an intense, caring way that only grandparents can do. At the beginning of my parenting career, there was no one I called more than my mom. And there’s no one I consistently check in with daily than my mom.
What I learned more recently is just how much parents continuously nurture. Rewind to 2 days before Christmas, a week full of promise, excitement, and energy. Instead, the visitor we were expecting in Santa was the stomach bug.
Perfect timing.
But with it came my amazing mom, masked up and ready to help my husband and me as we battled sickness with our youngest and ourselves and all the fun that comes with the GI bug (any parent with young children who’s experienced this knows exactly what I’m talking about.) She went above and beyond, but in her mind, she was doing what her mom role called for, even as her daughter is knocking on 40. She was our Christmas miracle.
As parents of young children, every day is unpredictable. However, the one predictable factor each day is knowing that regardless of what it brings, you will forever have the title of Parent. And thanks to my mom, I’ve learned that age has no boundaries on parenting. Once a parent, always a parent, and thank God for that!
How important do you think the role of parent was and is in your life? Share your thoughts by commenting below.