We all say we want our kids to be happy, only happy, and healthy, but we don't want that. We want them to be like we are, or better than we are. We as humans are very unimaginative in that sense. We aren't equipped for the possibility that they might be worse. But I guess that would be asking too much. It must be an evolutionary stopgap - if we were all so specifically, vividly aware of what might go horribly wrong, we would none of us have children at all.
This quote prompts deep reflection on the paradoxes inherent in parental aspirations and human nature. At the core, it exposes a fundamental contradiction: on one hand, we outwardly wish for our children to find joy, health, and fulfillment; on the other, we secretly or subconsciously desire them to mirror or surpass us, which can impose limitations or expectations that hinder true freedom for their individuality. The recognition that humans are often...
