Quotes

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings.”
–Hodding Carter

I think that this quote is really great, and helps to boil down many of the dilemmas we face as parents. What is the best way to provide both roots and wings for our children?

There are some obvious answers. For example, we need to teach them the importance of family, and respect, and any other values a particular family unit finds important (ie. cultural and spiritual roots). On the other hand, we also need to teach them how to be independent thinkers, and provide them with the tools they need to succeed in the world on their own.

In my opinion, these days many children are going without either roots or wings. We see quality family time decreasing due to hectic schedules. There is such a focus on grades that independent thinking is being lost in many of our schools. Many argue that classes that would greatly benefit our youngsters, such as ones in personal finance, are needed to help them avoid some of the financial mistakes parents made.

I think that although kids are pretty resilient, we need to be aware of what we can to as parents in developing both their roots and their wings. Would you agree or disagree?