Parental Responsibility

My wife and I have two daughters who are eight and five years old. Our instincts, tendencies, and ideas towards the way we raise our children sometimes creates tension and conflict between the two of us.

My wife is a teacher. I think she has done an exceptional job of preparing our girls to be successful in school activities. Still, her basic instinct is to always want to protect our girls, while my basic instinct is to always want to prepare them for the skills and wisdom they will need as adults.

It occurs to me that if all we do as parents is prepare our children, our children will not receive the protection they need. However, if all we do as parents is protect our children, our children will not receive the preparation they also need.

All of us, as parents, should feel the tension between the protection and preparation of our children. I'm glad my wife and I have each other to create the balance for our children.

Boys who are over-protected do not receive the preparation they need to function in society as adults. This may be another reason why so many fatherless boys end up in prison.