Opinion Editorial

My Inspiration Op-Ed is from the Los Angeles Times titled "Happy 'Other' Mother's Day". It is an article that discusses a woman thanking all of the mother figures that have helped raise her throughout her life, rather than her own mother. Her biological mom died at 16. This inspired me, for two reasons. Being a mother any day now I am writing an article that would fall into a similar category of children and family. I also loved this article because growing up without a father I have many 'Other' Fathers that I thank on that one day of the year, and they are special.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-torres-mothers-day-community-20190512-story.html

The Universal Simplicity in Raising Our Children

By Danielle Hagerty

August 1^st, 2019

There is not a universal instruction manual for raising all of our children. I have seen many texts on different subjects of parenting such as, Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph, The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, and the ever so popular What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. Each book is targeted for different age groups, situations, and goals as a parent. We begin trying to parent “correctly” before our child has fully grown in the womb. Our world and our individual lives are too diverse to make raising a happy child a quick read. Raising a happy child in whatever world we live in can be simple.

For many parents calendars are filled almost everyday including weekends. Why this sense of constant running around? It seems as though we want our children to run the rat race just as we adults do. According to New York Times article Relentlessness of Modern Parenting this this ensures success. “Research shows that people across class divides now considers it the best way to raise children.” I question this statement. How can lower class families afford to take their children to all of these lessons, practices, extra curricular, and tutors, when they can hardly afford to put food on the table every week? It simply does not happen. That does not mean they are predestined for failure. The weight we as parents put on ourselves by saying this is how to make our kids have more than us later in life are unrealistic. The weight that we put on our kids to be busy from the age of 5 or younger, and for the there life seems simply wrong. Though this idea has the best of intentions it feels quite artificial.

I know growing up, all I wanted was to laugh, give and receive hugs, and be happy. Of course not every day could be that way, but as an adult those are the days that I remember most. More importantly, those things that I wanted as a child, I never stopped wanting as an adult. This is important to notice.

In a Ted Talk with Ingrid Fetall Lee, she discusses the feeling of Joy. For marketing she was asked to find what brings people joy. She found that many people would say things such as, “Bubbles, their favorite colors, fireworks, hot air balloons, rain, etc.” Notice, all of these things are readily available for all of us to see. It does not have to be difficult. “Deep within us we all have this impulse to seek joy for survival.” Lee stated.

Since our lives are so different, how can we parent universally? The best way is through simple things like compassion, joy, and love that resides here in front of us everyday. Humans are complicated but finding happiness does not have to be. That is the simplest and most fulfilling success that can be had on our kids.