And nothing inspires as much shame as being a parent. Children confront us with our paradoxes and hypocrisies, and we are exposed. You need to find an answer for every why - Why do we do this? Why don't we do that? - and often there isn't a good one. So you say, simply, because. Or you tell a story that you know isn't true. And whether or not your face reddens, you blush. The shame of parenthood - which is a good shame - is that we want our children to be more whole than we are, to have satisfactory answers.
In "Eating Animals," Jonathan Safran Foer reflects on the complexities and challenges of parenthood, highlighting the deep sense of shame that often accompanies it. As parents, we are constantly faced with difficult questions from our children that reveal our own uncertainties and contradictions. This exposure forces us to grapple with our beliefs and practices, leaving us vulnerable when we realize that some of our explanations may be inadequate or somewhat fabricated.
Foer suggests that this sense of shame is ultimately constructive, stemming from our desire for our children to be more complete and fulfilled than we are. We aspire for them to seek truthful and meaningful answers to life's questions, demonstrating a deeper understanding than we ourselves possess. This desire to guide our children towards better answers underscores the inherent struggle of parenthood, making the experience both enriching and fraught with introspective challenges.
