WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF A SUCCESSFUL PARENT & CHILD?

Candia Lea Cole
Feb 27, 2018
4 min read

Updated: Oct 8

What Does Being Successful Mean?

Is the measure of a successful parent a successful child? How do we, as parents, measure our own success or our child's success? By popularity, awards, job status, income, looks, or personality? Every parent I know wants their kids to grow up to be healthy, well-adjusted, and happy. Some of them want their kids to care, and not just about themselves. They want their kids to make a positive difference in the world.

If you're anything like me, you want to raise a healthy, socially and environmentally conscious child/adult who is prepared to live well in today's chaotic, fast-changing, eco-challenged times on Earth.

So...tell me: Are you raising your child, your teenager, or your young adult child to be healthy, socially aware, and eco-conscious? If so, give yourself a big nod of approval. But if not, what single thing do you suppose you could do to support your child in becoming successful in these areas of his or her life development? Is it enough to raise your child in a loving home?

Does Being Raised in a Loving Home Prepare Your Child for Success In Today's World?

A loving home is the foundation for any success that our kids might experience in their lives. But in my view, there's no certainty that a child from a loving home will grow into a person who is committed to living an eco-conscious life.

However....

* If you add in a parent who studies issues that impact our personal and planetary health, the possibility increases.

.* If you add in a parent that works actively for a health, humanitarian, social, or environmental cause, the possibility increases more.

* If you add in a parent that provides mentoring opportunities, including opportunities for a teenager or a young adult to learn about life skills that promote personal and planetary well-being, the possibility multiplies even more!

* If you add in a parent that provides opportunities for their child to provide a service to the family of the community they are part of, the possibility explodes!

* In summary, the greater the number and depth of learning experiences a child is given by their parents, the greater the possibility of living a committed eco-conscious life.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to parenting. And it's a never-ending journey of learning, growing, letting go of what doesn't work, and exploring what does. Most of the parents that I know (including myself), who want to raise eco-conscious kids, have challenges in three main areas:

* They are so busy researching issues that are important to them, that they barely have time to think about what it all means, and they get overwhelmed by "information overload."

* They get stuck when it comes to sharing or teaching what they've learned. (They feel that they can't teach what they haven't fully mentally absorbed or mastered).

* They fear that their kids won't adopt an ed. practice because they're too busy or too distracted by their social media activities to care. (This last one makes me cringe and cry...)

It's Easy to Get Overwhelmed. But We Can't Give in, or Give Up, on Our Kids!

Here are some questions to ponder when it comes to raising healthy, empowered kids who will want to make a difference:

* Can we teach our kids to form a positive self-identity if we are struggling to form our own?

* Can we teach our kids the principle of simple abundance, if we are catering to our material wants, vs. our authentic human needs?

* Can we teach our kids how to enhance their health if we don't understand how our Earth's health impacts it?

* Can we teach our kids the importance of avoiding toxins in the foods they eat, if we don't have a clear understanding of how they hurt their developing brains and bodies?

* Can we teach our kids to use social media wisely, if we are overusing it or abusing it ourselves?

* Can we teach our kids about diversity if we have cultural biases?

* Can we teach our kids about spirituality if we don't realize that it's about honoring our gifts and serving others?

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The answer to these questions, you might agree with me, is: "No, we can't." And that is why it is so important for us, as parents and mentors, to make sure that our own internal resistance is not hurting our kids' ability and willingness to learn and grow.

Here's my good news for parents, mentors, and educators:

Because of my lifelong interest in personal healing and planetary transformation, I've devoted many years of my life to the creation of dozens of educational TOOLS that offer to support parents, mentors, and educators in raising kids who have the desire to be healthy and make a difference.

These are "DONE FOR YOU" ed. tools that give you and your kids an immediate and gratifying way to learn (independently and/or collaboratively) about the most important health and survival issues of our time.