It is not my job to make you happy
News alert to my children: it is not my job to make you happy.
Yes, I understand that you will only be happy if you have ice cream for breakfast. Every day.
But it is not my job to make you happy. It is my obligation to make sure you have food. It is my job to teach you how to make healthy choices. To choose to have some sliced fruit, whole grain bread, and perhaps an egg instead of ice cream for breakfast. Except on your birthday. Or maybe Christmas. Or backwards day. But other than that, no ice cream for breakfast.
Yes, I understand that you will only be happy if I let you skip school. I'm flattered that you want to come to work with me.
But it is not my job to make you happy. It is my job to inspire in you a love of learning. It is my job to teach you that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do to achieve long term goals, like a college degree. It is my job to teach you the value of hard work.
Yes, I understand that you will only be happy if I buy you a new DS game or a toy every time we go to the store. I get it that new games and toys are more fun than the stuff you already have. I know that those commercials have convinced you that you need to have this new toy.
But it is not my job to make you happy. To be honest, I would love to buy you every toy on the market. But I know that you don't need them. I know you can't play with them all. It is my job to teach you about budgets and living within your means. It is also my job to help you realize that commercial don't tell you the whole truth, that waste is not a virtue, and that making do with what you got is the environmental way to go. And finally it is my job to teach you about generosity. The world does not revolve around your wants and desires.
Yes, I understand that you will only be happy if I take your toys out of time out, let you play the Wii when you are barred, or let you out of time out.
It is not my job to make you happy. It is my job to teach you that actions have consequences.
As your mom, I want to make you happy. But if I spend all my time making you happy, you won't grow up to be very happy people.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati