I was just talking with my good friend, Paul Gadola, who you may know from KEW Curiosity Interview Series 1, about kids. He and his wife have chosen not to have any and are very happy they don’t, whereas I have four kids. It’s usually difficult for me to relate to non-parents to at least some degree, but with Paul it is not hard at all.
The differences reflect life choices, but a foundation of empathy connects us.
The point I want to make is that this episode is not just for people that have kids. It is valuable to understand all points of view in order to feel more connected to each other.
Parenting is the toughest job I have ever had. But that may just be me. After being a stay-at-home parent for several years, and generally speaking the primary caregiver for nearly 20 years, I now look at having a job as having a hobby that pays you money.
Now, some jobs SUCK hard, and that’s a little different. But many people enjoy their work, just like many people really love parenting.
But parenting is harder, again, in my opinion. It has more challenges and fewer rewards. And even though you may find it difficult to talk to your demanding and angry boss, at least he or she can communicate using grown up words.
The point of this episode wasn’t to knock parenting, or not having kids, or any of it. Rather, it is my attempt to balance the playing field so that we all understand one another, and can, like Paul and myself, be more understanding and empathetic to decisions we make.
And maybe that’s a model for everyone to consider about all issues.
Interestingly, and out of pure coincidence, I just did a guest interview on the Impactful Parent Podcast:
www.facebook.com/theimpactfulparent
www.instagram.com/theimpactfulparent
www.linkedin.com/company/theimpactfulparent
https://theimpactfulparent.com/youtube
Here’s a direct link to my interview: https://theimpactfulparent.com/parenting-podcast/
about bullying! One of the elements that certainly makes parenting (and being a kid) challenging. Check out Kristina’s website and what she is doing to help parents.
Episode 31 original blog post with full audio and video links here: https://chrisburcher.com/2020/11/27/kew-episode-31-parenting/
Video preview here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3664478870329032
