Children are some of the best teachers on the planet. They teach you tons of things you never learn at school – sometimes as much as you teach them. Seriously. Wanna learn patience? Increase your leadership and communication skills? Develop Empathy? Become more playful? There’s nothing like raising a child to help you along the way!
For a bit of background info, I am a proud single parent of a handsome young man who will be turning 10 years old in a couple of weeks. We’ve been sort of a dynamic duo for about 6 years now, and while I won’t bore you with stories of how fast they grow up (they do), I am going to share with you how my experiences as a parent have shaped my outlook on life and my interactions with others in specific areas. Many of you who are parents may find my list very familiar, and your comments are encouraged. You may agree or disagree, and this list certainly isn’t intended to be comprehensive. That said, here are some of the ways being a parent has helped shaped my outlook in certain specific areas:
Loving
It has been said that there is no greater epiphany of unconditional love than what you experience when you hold your child in your arms for the first time. Of course this nothing more than a natural survival mechanism on the part of the newborn to compensate for all of the dirty diapers and lost sleep he/she is going to soon be putting you through! 
Still, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child is something that has to be experienced firsthand to truly be appreciated. Once you feel it, it helps color your perception of the world. When you get angry or feel out of balance, all you have to do is go back to that inner state you experienced when you held your child for the first time. Its a powerful anchor that I hadn’t even thought of until this morning, but try it out and see if it doesn’t work!
Patience
All parents reading this are chuckling right now I’m sure. If having a child doesn’t force you to become more patient then nothing ever will. Admit it, growing up you ALWAYS wanted to know what it was like to tell somebody 851 times to do something, only to receive back a blank stare and the words
2 responses so far ↓
1 Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:21 am
I never quite realise how much I would grow up, by just having kids. But grew up I did and still growing. It’s less of a “me me me” but more giving, loving and sharing, like how you put it. My kids are one of my best teachers in town and I’ll never exchange them for anything else!
2 Karen Lynch-Live the Power // Jun 4, 2008 at 5:53 pm
You know I love being a parent…I loved it so much the first time that 16 1/2 years later I did it again 3x! I now have kids ranging from 2 years old to 25 years old and each of them still fill my heart with magic!
Appreciate the times you are having now when your son is just 10 because they do grow up (but even grown up kids are cool when they’re yours!)