One of the most empowering things children do is follow their parents to the T. For those parents who tell that their kids do not to listen to them, they should know that, even before they realize it, their children are copying their behavior. What is problematic in them is problematic in you. What is lovable in them, they have acquired it from you.
Even though parental wounds are real, it’s deeply saddening to see how many parents don’t realize that having children is like receiving God’s love language. However we receive our children, it is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. It’s an act of love toward ourselves. I understand that one needs to be healed enough to fully cherish this, but if you’re in a place where you can see your child for what they are, not what they could be, you will feel a glowing ball of love in your heart.
Your child is here to show you the way you love—they are a mirror of how you love yourself. If what I’m saying hurts you, then perhaps you are also hurting yourself.
It’s a painful realization that our children must endure suffering that should only be ours. But since we can’t change this, what we can control is how we see ourselves—and in return, how we see our child.
We owe it to our children to be the best version of ourselves possible. And by “best,” I don’t mean the worldly best, but rather the version of ourselves that we can lean on when we need support. This way, our children will learn to love themselves the way we love ourselves.