My parents are two of the most amazing humans that I know. They are supportive, kind, caring and help me in more way than one. I don’t have many posts on my blog covering parenthood because I’m not a parent yet so I had this idea to interview my parents about being parents. I thought it would be interesting hearing their perspectives on parenting now that all of their children are grown up and are adults.
I always get people commenting on my parents skills and how amazing they are, so why not share their wise words and thoughts with the world. Be prepared that there for sure be some comedic responses to the 10 questions I have for them, because they like to think they’re funny!
This will be a two part series, with the first responses being from my dad. We won’t be sharing any personal information about my parents like their names or anything like that, but I hope you enjoy this post and find it helpful hearing a different parental perspective.
1. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BEING A PARENT?
Knowing that I’ve done a good job bringing my kids up and knowing that blesses me everyday. Also seeing you all develop into responsible young adults. I’m very proud of all of you and what you have done and your achievements.
2. DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WANTED KIDS?
Yes, as soon as I got married to your mom I said I just want children. I didn’t have in mind how many I wanted, I just knew I wanted children.
3. HOW HAS YOUR PARENTING STYLE CHANGED SINCE ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN HAVE GROWN UP?
My parenting has just evolved and changed as you have all grown up, you’re not so hands on. But also on the flip side, you all come to us for advice now. We’ve taken a step back from parenting because we can only lead you so far. We like to get involved in things that you’re doing but we don’t like to get too involved because you need to learn and make your own mistakes.
4. DO YOU HAVE ANY PARENTING REGRETS? IF SO, WHAT ARE THEY?
No, none at all. We can now see the fruits of our work in raising you all. Theres no handbook with being a parent, you do what you think is right.
5. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE FACED BEING A PARENT?
It’s knowing that you’re doing the right thing for your children, and trying to encourage you all to be individual and not follow the crowd.
6. HOW DID YOU FIND TIME FOR YOURSELF WHEN ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN WERE YOUNGER?
You don’t have time for yourself as a parent. The only time I found time was once a week when I used to go and play football with friends for an hour.
7. IS IT HARD WATCHING YOUR CHILDREN GROW AND LEAVE HOME?
Oh yes definitely, if you think about it you as children have been part of our lives for 25+ years. And then you go and you think well what do I do now. You sort of find out who you are once you’re all grown up and gone.
8. WHATS THE BEST PART OF BEING A GRAND-PARENT?
There is no baggage with them, it’s different when you have your own kids because its about focusing and looking after you. With grandchildren its more quality time with them. And you can give them back at the end of the day!
9. WHATS ONE PIECE OF PARENTING ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE TO ME FOR WHEN I HAVE CHILDREN?
Be yourself and don’t pretend to be anybody else and do what you thinks right.
10. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHILD?
(laughing) All of you
If you’re a parent, what advice could you give to other people who are becoming parents or aren’t parents yet?
The next post will be my moms interview and I asked her the exact same questions, so it’ll be interesting to see if her thoughts are the same or different!
Olivia x
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ahahah, that’s so cute!! I love the idea!
Thank you! I had so much fun doing this!
Really? I would be a little bit emberrased to share so “private” thing on internet! I’m glad you had joy while doing this!
I don’t see this as private 😊 Why not share their wisdom with the world!
Well, we all know how internet can be mean! However, i really love the idea!! It’s very funny!
No parenting regrets? Oh my goodness! Tell your dad to write a book. 😂 parenting is hands down the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.
This is so sweet! Can’t wait to hear what your mom has to say.
Right! 🤣I was shocked when he said that! It was interesting to see the different in answers both of my parents had! Thanks for reading!
I also loved “which one is your favorite?” answer.
“All of them” is absolutely the right answer!
I had to throw that question in, I was hoping he said me🤣
Of course!
When I was young we (I come from a family of four kids) had a youth pastor who asked each of us individually who we thought was our dad’s favorite. Each one of us said “me”
She said she thought that was the most precious thing because somehow my dad had found a way to make each one of us feel favored in our own way.
Dad’s are precious. ❤️
Thats is so lovely! I never thought about it that way before!
They really are 💛
“Parents are the mothers and fathers of children
parents are childen’s first teachers
parents are everything and value
to children while they are children.”
_-Van Prince
A priceless post on parenthood that is precious!
Lovely 💛
Thank yous!
You are rare as an uncut diamond!
💛
The heart-symbol is a love of talent by writers!
I loved this interview! ✨❤️️
Thank you! I loved doing it 🤗
You’re welcome! Keep doing it. I enjoy and learn a lot from these interviews.😊
Loved this post 😊 Looking forward to your mom’s responses
Thank you! I’m looking forward to sharing it!
Loved all the answers 💗💗
Thanks for reading!!☺️
I love this post idea – so different and creative! I loved reading 😄❤️
Thank you so much!!☺️
I never missed your post as you always come with an interesting topic.. Loved this interesting interview with your parents.
https://swarnaz.com
Thank you! It means alot. So glad you are enjoying the posts 🤍
What a lovely gesture to celebrate your parents with this creative and supportive post. My little man and me are close and I would adore it if he ever did something like this for me when he is older. Wonderful creativity and great energy! Thanks 🤘🏽
Thank you so much for your kind words ❤️ I hope that he does that for you one day!
your parents are really cool, mine would turn it into a lecture 😁
Thank you! They really are 😂
That’s so sweet✨🧡
The last question though😂
Really looking forward to part 2 with your mum. Such a great idea Olivia xx
Hahaha 🤣 I just had to include it! cx
“We like to get involved in things that you’re doing but we don’t like to get too involved because you need to learn and make your own mistakes”. Parent of the millennium👏 Give this parent a vacation!
Haha! He for sure needs one!
Woooow . Impressed…kindly follow my bloghttps://newnjo.wordpress.com …my first blog🙏
Thanks for reading!
Your dad is sooooo right! When they are your kid, you can’t just hand them off to someone else and call it a day… the kiddos will cry around you, invade your privacy, climb all over you and then expect you to drop on all fours and play for HOURS! He should definitely enjoy being a grandparent lol
🤣 He for sure enjoys being a grandparent, its probably alot more enjoyable than raising all of his kids!
What a great post! Definitely very unique 🙂 How lovely to see the perspective of your parents. As long as it’s mostly good haha! I’m sure reading through these answers was insightful for you.
It was so insightful! I learnt so much from both of them! My moms post is coming next week!
Nice one. Looking forward to your mom’s interview.
Me too! Cant wait to share it!
Such a cute article. The idea is wonderful though. I’m sorry but I might have to steal your own unique idea and do this interview with my parents 🧡🧡
Thank you so much! of course! Feel free to use my questions, I’d just kindly ask that you tag me in the post as credit ☺️
Definitely dear
How cool !!
Thank you so much, so glad you think so!
That looks like such a unique idea! I think the toughest part of parenting is to decide how much to help your kids and when to step back.
In case of mothers, it becomes tougher and they often end up getting involved too much.
I know there are exceptions as well, but perhaps fathers can be a bit better in things like career advice, dealing with expectations but in terms of mental toughness, Mothers can be better guide.
And one more advice from my own personal experience: when a mother-daughter duo are discussing decorative items and dresses, fathers ought to stay away!! 🙂
This is really an interesting read. A great post must say.
Thanks so much!
A passage from Childhood Disrupted (pg.24) reads: “Well-meaning and loving parents can unintentionally do harm to a child if they are not well informed about human development …”
Sure, people know not to yell when, for instance, a baby is sleeping in the next room; but do they know about the intricacies of why not?
For example, what percentage of procreative adults specifically realize that, since it cannot fight or flight, a baby stuck in a crib on its back hearing parental discord in the next room can only “move into a third neurological state, known as a ‘freeze’ state … This freeze state is a trauma state” (pg.123). This causes its brain to improperly develop; and if allowed to continue, it’s the helpless infant’s starting point towards a childhood, adolescence and (in particular) adulthood in which its brain uncontrollably releases potentially damaging levels of inflammation-promoting stress hormones and chemicals, even in non-stressful daily routines.
How many potential parents are aware it’s the unpredictability of a stressor, and not the intensity, that does the most harm?
When the stressor “is completely predictable, even if it is more traumatic—such as giving a [laboratory] rat a regularly scheduled foot shock accompanied by a sharp, loud sound—the stress does not create these exact same [negative] brain changes.” (pg.42)
Also, how many of us are aware that, since young children completely rely on their parents for protection and sustenance, they will understandably stress over having their parents angry at them for prolonged periods of time?
I know I didn’t know any of this until I researched the topic for the specifics.
Yet, general society continues to misguidedly perceive and therefore practice human reproductive rights as though we’ll somehow, in blind anticipation, be innately inclined to sufficiently understand and appropriately nurture our children’s naturally developing minds and needs.
A psychologically sound as well as a physically healthy future should be all children’s foremost right—especially considering the very troubled world into which they never asked to enter—and therefore basic child development science and rearing should be learned long before the average person has their first child.
By not teaching this to high school students, is it not as though societally we’re implying that anyone can comfortably enough go forth with unconditionally bearing children with whatever minute amount, if any at all, of such vital knowledge they happen to have acquired over time?
________
“I remember leaving the hospital thinking, ‘Wait, are they going to let me just walk off with him? I don’t know beans about babies! I don’t have a license to do this. We’re just amateurs’.”
—Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons