“Great parents raise their children to value people for what they have in their hearts, not in their pockets…” ~ Luminita D. Saviuc

Great Parents

Your children are life’s gift to you. The way you raise your children is the gift you give back to life. Pour your love and wisdom onto them, and you will pour your love and wisdom onto life…

15 Things Great Parents Do Differently

1. Great parents strive to be like their children, and not to the other way around.

Great parents are aware of the fact that our prior condition is love, light, and happiness. Therefore, they don’t try to make their children be like them. But rather, they aspire to become like their children. They know that just as Kahlil Gibran said it so beautifully,

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

2. Great parents practice non-interference.

Great parents understand that parenting isn’t about having children lean on you. But rather about making learning unnecessary. And through their words, actions and behaviors, they teach their children how to become self-reliant – to always follow their own inner compass – to trust the quiet voice of their intuition more than the loud voice of the world. 

“Parenting is not about having children lean on you but making leaning unnecessary. They have a compass, let them follow their own compass; freeing you up to be your own person on your own time and allowing them to become who they are to become.” ~ Wayne Dyer

3. Great parents teach their children to honor their Divinity.

Because they know that the relationship their children have with their Inner Being is the most important – even more important than the relationship with their parents, great parents encourage their children to look within. To seek for Truth, Love, and guidance within the center of their own Being. And to always honor the voice of their heart.

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” ~ Matthew 10:37

4. They protect, preserve and develop their children’s genius.

Years ago, an incredible study was made at Harvard University called Project Zero where Howard Gardner, together with his colleagues found that every child is born a genius across multiple bits of intelligence and that by the age of 20, the percentage of geniuses within a population whittles down to 10%… and over the age of twenty, only 2% retained their genius ability. 

As Buckminster Fuller said it so beautifully, “All children are born geniuses; 9,999 out of every 10,000 are swiftly, inadvertently degeniusized by grownups.” 

Great parents are aware of the fact that their children are geniuses. And they do their best to protect, preserve, and constantly develop their children’s unique gifts and talents. 

They treasure their children’s genius and do not interfere with their ability to create and express themselves freely and openly.

5. They encourage their children to live in alignment with their life purpose.

Great parents don’t try to impose unrealistic or unsuitable expectations on their children. But rather, they encourage them to always do the things they feel in their hearts is right for them, even if these things make little or no sense to others.

They remind their children that each and every one of us is meant to walk on a unique path in life. And that only by living in alignment with our Truth and purpose in life we will find real joy, peace, and fulfillment.

6. Great parents don’t give up on themselves ‘for the children’s sake.‘

Even though they take the lives of their children seriously – caring for their happiness, education, health, and well-being, these parents know that they are more than the roles they play.

Thus, they honor themselves and the path they walk in life.

They take good care of themselves and the things that have so much value and meaning to them. And they make sure not to fall into the trap of giving up on themselves and their lives ‘ for the children’s sake’.

7. Great parents teach their children to never look for love and approval outside themselves.

Because they know that we were all created whole and perfect and that within ourselves lies hidden all the love, happiness, and approval we need and desire, they teach their children to never burden anyone by making other people responsible for how they feel or don’t feel. But rather to look within. And to trust that in doing so, they will discover the love and approval they need and long for. 

8. Great parents teach their children to live with an open heart.

In spite of the many disappointments, heartbreaks, betrayals, and hurtful situations they might experience in life. And in spite of the many pains and struggles they might face as years go by, great parents teach their children to never give up on love.

They know that love is life and life is love. Therefore, they teach their children to never give up on love. Because if they do, they give up on life…

9. They educate their children to be happy.

Great parents don’t educate their children to be rich, but rather to be happy; to seek to become men and women of value, not of success. So that when they grow up, they realize the value of things and not their price…

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” ~ John Lennon

10. They inspire their children to treat all living beings with respect, love, and compassion.

Through their wise words and living examples, they teach their children to treat all living beings with respect, love, kindness, and compassion. And they help them understand that just as their parents are worthy of their love and affection, so is the whole world. 

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” ~ George Washington Carver

11. Great parents encourage their children to honor their authenticity.

They encourage their children to honor their authenticity and uniqueness. To stay true to themselves at all times and to never trim themselves to suit those around them – even if that means “offending” some people.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

12. Great parents help their children see that all life is an experiment.

They know that there is no limit to what we can do, be, and have. Therefore, they teach their children to take risks and not be afraid of failure. 

To face their fears with courage and to go bravely in the direction of their dreams – by constantly stepping into the unknown and by experimenting with life as much as they possibly can. 

13. Great parents encourage their children to seek the wisdom of their Soul.

Because they know that all the wisdom of this world – with its many rewards and treasures, can’t even compare with the wisdom and the many treasures that are hidden within each and every one of us, great parents encourage their children to seek the wisdom and teachings of their Soul. To ask more of themselves than they ask of those around them. And to trust the Wisdom of their Soul more than they trust the wisdom of the world around them.

“I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul.” ~ Rumi

They teach their children to ask more of themselves than they ask of those around them. And to always listen to the teaching of their Souls more than they listen to the teachings of those around them.

14. They encourage their children to never give up their playful spirit.

No matter how old their children are and no matter how serious life demands them to be, great parents teach their children to keep their playful spirit alive – at all times. And to never allow life’s many hardships and challenges to make them forget about the importance of laughter and the power of play. 

“Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: He has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

15. Great parents raise their children to value people for what they have in their hearts, not in their pockets.

Great parents teach their children to love people for who they are underneath it all and not for how shiny and glittery their life looks… To value people for who they are in their hearts and not for what they have in their pockets…

“Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, “What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?” Instead, they demand: “How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?” Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

And these are the 15 things great parents do differently. I hope they will inspire you to become an even greater parent – to your children if you have any, but also to your inner child and the children present in your life. And I hope they will remind you that it’s never too late to become an even greater parent. 

~love, Luminita💫

Comments