At bedtime, I hear Klara mutter in a tone of somebody making a shopping list, “I have the best mommy in the world, I have the best daddy in the world, what else can I possibly want?”
At bedtime, I hear Klara mutter in a tone of somebody making a shopping list, “I have the best mommy in the world, I have the best daddy in the world, what else can I possibly want?”
Clearly, you have the best kid in the world…
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What else can I possibly want? :-))))
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This is the kind of relationship and moments you put in all the sacrifice for, and that’s what makes it totally worth it, right?
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Not really, no. You’ll be a very unhappy parent if you take that approach.
It’s like reading. I don’t do it so that somebody can say, “wow, you are so well-read.” It feels nice to hear it but whatever. I sincerely enjoy the process of reading and I don’t see it as a sacrifice of my time.
Expecting to get a payoff from a child kills the whole thing.
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Not you personally, of course. I mean in general.
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Of course that was an especially rewarding moment. But most well-adjusted people find it very meaningful and satisfying to see their kids happy, witness them learning new things and having new experiences. Raising kids is hard work, but you get hits of dopamine along the way.
I agree with you that having specific expectations is a recipe for unhappiness for both you and the child.
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My rewarding moments come when I feed her a huge bowl of borscht and she runs around with her friends, looking grimy and disheveled, and forgets my existence. This is my parental bliss.
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