Growing children with an inner compass that guides their steps toward kindness and compassion and generosity of spirit is far, far and away superior … - L.R. Knost

Strength is not a roar of thunder in the heart.
That is passion
Strength is not a process of logic in the mind.
That is reason.
Strength is a soul-deep voice that whispers
'keep going' when we feel like giving up.

Protecting our children from the cruelty of the world doesn't mean shielding them from the realities of the world. Tell them the truth. Teach them to care. Give them a voice. Prepare them not to withstand the world, but to change the world.

The moment you realize that you aren't creating a cut-and-paste version of yourself, but rather nurturing a stunningly unique individual with thoughts and feelings and hopes and fears and opinions and preferences and plans and interests of their own is the moment parenting becomes an adventure instead of a challenge. It's a simple shift in perspective that creates a world of difference.