I've been running my whole life. Running into bars, running around the world. But when you have a child, you can't run. That was a revelation.
Craig FergusonRead
The first duty to children is to make them happy. If you have not made them so, you have wronged them. No other good they may get can make up for that.
Interpretation
The primary responsibility of parents is to ensure their children's happiness, above all else.
This quote by Charles Buxton emphasizes the fundamental role parents play in their children's lives. It suggests that the essence of good parenting lies in fostering happiness in children, and failing to do so is a deep disservice. The notion is that no other achievements or advantages provided to children can compensate for a lack of joy and contentment in their upbringing.
In practice
In a parenting seminar discussing the importance of emotional well-being.
I've been running my whole life. Running into bars, running around the world. But when you have a child, you can't run. That was a revelation.
I became the kind of parent my mother was to me.
In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.
Your children are not your children, they come through you, but they are life itself, wanting to express itself.
The good parent: someone who doesn't mind, for a time, being hated by their children.
Compassion for our parents is the true sign of maturity.
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