Unconditional Love Leaves Kids Unprepared for the Real World
The delicate dance of love, boundaries, and life
Sometimes, parents believe that showering their kids with love, no matter what they do, is the best way to go.
That’s an idea I cannot fully buy into.
“People like to say love is unconditional, but it’s not, and even if it was unconditional, it’s still never free. There’s always an expectation attached. They always want something in return. Like they want you to be happy or whatever and that makes you automatically responsible for their happiness because they won’t be happy unless you are … I just don’t want that responsibility.”
― Katja Millay, The Sea of Tranquility
Unconditional love isn’t all bad, but there are a few things to consider.
As kids become adults, they may not be able to handle life situations on their own. Of course, if parents have done a good job of raising kids, they’ve also prepared them for the real world. And, if young people are not prepared for the real world, they could end up living in mom and dad’s basement at 30 and beyond.
Hopefully, as parents, we raise our kids to be strong, independent beings who are ready to handle real-life situations.
