I've always always always had dogs, and the more time I spend with dogs, the more I learn that they are little love mirrors. How I love them and how they love me is a direct representation of how I love myself.
I love how you show each of your kids personalities through the lens of their dog personas. thank you for that beauty.
also...some time ago when I was a swim coach for teenage-humans, I read a blog post from a father saying that parenting a teen is like being the walls of a swimming pool. You have to be there to contain the waters of their emotions, as they explore their ability to swim in the deep ends of life. You can't reach for them, they have to come to you, and when they do, they hang on for a bit, and then KICK off you to go back into the waters. I wish I could find that article again. It was absolutely brilliant, and so accurate.
We foster dogs as well and I have never looked at it through the parenting lens. Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your insights (and home to many wonderful doggers!)
First off, parenting has become so difficult today because there are so many books, videos, articles, etc., on parenting, some written by regular parents, some written by PhDs. The problem, and it is a problem, is that they often give conflictinvmg advice.
Look, the books mean well, good intentions all of them. But after reading one after my first child more than 20 years ago, I decided not to read another parenting book or article or watch any video.
Have I made "mistakes"? Yep, my kids tell me I did. Plenty. Were any tragic? No. Are parents human? Yep. Very much so.
The point here is that there might be better parenting advice. It might work with your kids. Or likely not. I do not look at raising kids as in need of a management technique or as some programming method.
Personally, I think parents need to allow their kids the freedom to discover, develop their imagination and their selves.That's right, be in the background ready to offer advice and guidance. But allow your kids to grow. As for having animal companions in the house, always an excellent idea.
I concur, Perry. The goal for parenting teens is to be part of the background, not leading the charge. I think there are so many books, podcasts...because few parents want to embrace that their role has changed or know what that means for them. Teen years can be messy for all involved.
I've always always always had dogs, and the more time I spend with dogs, the more I learn that they are little love mirrors. How I love them and how they love me is a direct representation of how I love myself.
I love how you show each of your kids personalities through the lens of their dog personas. thank you for that beauty.
also...some time ago when I was a swim coach for teenage-humans, I read a blog post from a father saying that parenting a teen is like being the walls of a swimming pool. You have to be there to contain the waters of their emotions, as they explore their ability to swim in the deep ends of life. You can't reach for them, they have to come to you, and when they do, they hang on for a bit, and then KICK off you to go back into the waters. I wish I could find that article again. It was absolutely brilliant, and so accurate.
Wow. I love that metaphor. It truly defines the fluid nature of teen's relationship to home. Thanks!
while I’ve never had kids…I taught high school and coached swimming for over a decade. The metaphor was SO GOOD!
We foster dogs as well and I have never looked at it through the parenting lens. Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your insights (and home to many wonderful doggers!)
What a great idea.
First off, parenting has become so difficult today because there are so many books, videos, articles, etc., on parenting, some written by regular parents, some written by PhDs. The problem, and it is a problem, is that they often give conflictinvmg advice.
Look, the books mean well, good intentions all of them. But after reading one after my first child more than 20 years ago, I decided not to read another parenting book or article or watch any video.
Have I made "mistakes"? Yep, my kids tell me I did. Plenty. Were any tragic? No. Are parents human? Yep. Very much so.
The point here is that there might be better parenting advice. It might work with your kids. Or likely not. I do not look at raising kids as in need of a management technique or as some programming method.
Personally, I think parents need to allow their kids the freedom to discover, develop their imagination and their selves.That's right, be in the background ready to offer advice and guidance. But allow your kids to grow. As for having animal companions in the house, always an excellent idea.
I concur, Perry. The goal for parenting teens is to be part of the background, not leading the charge. I think there are so many books, podcasts...because few parents want to embrace that their role has changed or know what that means for them. Teen years can be messy for all involved.